All of Me
by VirginiaLover
Summary: Bella's life isn't complicated. She has a group of friends that she loves, a boyfriend that she likes, and her art. She has everything that she's ever needed. Until her parents hire a new business partner, and her life gets turned upside down by a beautiful boy with a cocky smirk. Follow her on this journey filled with awkwardness, hilarity, and a touch of romance.
1. Youth

Part I

(2009-2010)

1\. Youth

My youth, my youth is yours  
A truth so loud you can't ignore  
My youth, my youth, my youth  
My youth is yours

-Youth, Troye Sivan

"Ow!" I hiss as the brush gets hung up on a knot of my freshly washed hair. "Ow, ow, ow." I chant as I disentangle the strands from the bristles. I swear I have the finest hair known to mankind, it knots so easily that I can look at it funny and it tangles within itself.

Disgusted, I throw the brush into the sink, my scalp still aching from the fight that I had just fought, and I rub it to try to take the sting away. It's a daily occurrence that I'll gladly relinquish. I look at my reflection in the mirror, taking in my normally white as snow skin that's been made red from my morning shower, but did little to disguise the freckles that I hate. I run a finger underneath my eyes, wiping away the additional evidence of the excessive black eyeliner that I'd worn yesterday that made my brown eyes look smaller than they are. I don't understand how, after vigorous scrubbing, that it's still there. I smooth my shoulder length, wavy brown hair down with my hands, not wanting to have to encounter the brush again. I've had enough of that torture device for one day.

I'm wearing a black V-neck t-shirt with a pair of jeans and flats. I look exactly how I feel this morning: tired, fourteen, and like I very much don't want to go to school.

"Bella! Let's go!" Dad yells up the stairs to me, like he does _every_ day of my life.

I sigh, taking one last look at myself in the mirror, shrugging at my reflection. Good enough. It's just school, I don't have to look like a runway model, just decent.

"Bella!" It's my brother this time. Emmett. God love him, but he can be a serve pain in the you know what. We're twins, which is either fortunate or awful, depending on how you look at it. Right now, it's awful.

I count down from ten in my head, the door to my bathroom swinging open with an audible thumb to the wall when I get to one. He's so predictable. Emmett walks in scowling, his tall frame taking up the entire doorway. I don't think that it's scientifically possible for him to be well on his way to being six feet tall, and for me to be lucky if I get to five. It's not fair. It's like we have two separate sets of DNA.

"Don't you knock?" I shoot at him. Dad must've sent him after me. I hate when he barges in like this, happy that I'm decent and not in the shower.

"We're going to be late, and Mom and Dad have that new guy starting at the restaurant today." Emmett takes my arm roughly, dragging me out of the bathroom. He's walking so quickly that I barely have enough time to grab my backpack from where it sits by my bedroom door.

Our parents own a successful chain of restaurants in the Raleigh area of North Carolina called The Library. It is, you guessed it, a book themed restaurant. When we moved here eight years ago, it had been one tiny location that they opened on a whim that exploded. There are now six of them in the surrounding area. The new guy that's starting today isn't just some random person hired to do a random job, he's their new business partner. He's going to be in charge of marketing and helping them grow and branch out of the Triangle.

He and his wife moved out here from Los Angeles. Apparently, they have a son that's around our age. The guy's run several restaurants out that way and came highly recommended to my parents. They hired him after only talking to him on the phone. Which seemed very risky to me, but hey, it isn't my restaurant. Just my future… I'm kidding.

"Finally," Dad throws his hands up in the air like he's praising God that I've finally come down the stairs. "she emerges!"

Mom walks into the foyer, carrying her bag and two cups of coffee. "Don't be so dramatic, Charlie." She chastises, handing me one of the coffees. Emmett makes a face as I take my first sip. He, like our dad, hates coffee. He always looks at me with a disgusted expression when I'm drinking it. Come to think of it, he always looks at me like that.

"Renee, we'll be lucky if we get them there ten minutes late." Dad complains. "You, young lady," he turns his attention back to me, pointing a finger, his irritation over my lack of time management showing very clearly on his face. "need to start taking your showers at night. Maybe then we will actually get out of here on time for a change."

"Your dad is right, you need to hurry it up in the morning. I'm tired of you two getting detention because you're constantly late." Mom stares at me pointedly, I swear her eyes have laser beams in them. She can make you freeze with just a look. Right now, being no exception.

"Sorry," I mumble around the cup that I have pressed to my lips. They're right, I'm sick of getting detention for something that isn't cool in the least. If I'm going to be made to stay after school for doing something, I want it to be something exciting, like spray painting a locker or teepeeing the principal's car. Saying that you got detention because you were late, yet again, just doesn't have the same gravitas.

"Enough standing around discussing this, let's move!" Mom motions us out the door and toward the car.

We live in Preston, a cookie-cutter "we're better off than most" neighborhood in Cary. It's an area that's filled with houses that are much larger than anyone really needs, some that are made of stone and look more like castles than actual homes.

Ours is one of the rare "basic" two stories, single family homes in the entire neighborhood. It's white with black shutters, a porch that wraps around the house, and a two-car garage. As well as a pool, which is my favorite part. I don't know if I would call us rich, but comfortable. We aren't hurting for money, but we aren't billionaires or anything.

Mom and Dad are very careful how they spend their money. They bought a newer house, one that they knew wasn't going to nickel and dime them; one that they could have for a long time. They bought a family car, a smaller SUV, one that isn't horrible on gas. Everything they have ever gotten is practical. They save like crazy, so Emmett and I could go to any college that we want to without being drowned by student loans the day we graduate. They don't want us to have to worry about anything, and so far, they had succeeded. We are some of the lucky few in the world today, and I try not to take it for granted. Tomorrow, it could all go away.

When we pull up in front of the eighth-grade entrance, I sigh. Another day of exhilarating education!

"Have a great day! See you after school!" Mom and Dad both yell to us as we get out of the car.

Miraculously, we aren't late. Dad must have cast a spell or something to halt time, because the warning bell hasn't even rung yet. Fellow students are still dawdling in the hallway, talking to their friends and playing with their phones.

Emmett breaks away from me, going over to talk to Jasper and Quil, giving them each a fist bump. I don't see the girls yet, so I make my way through the throng of people to my locker.

"Hey," James comes over to me, a smile on his face as soon as he sees me. My heart skips a beat when he starts my way. His brown eyes sparkle, and he walks with confidence. His blonde hair is in the typical spikes. He's wearing a button-down shirt and jeans. God, he looks good.

"Hey." I try to make my response not sound quite so breathy as it normally does, but I fail miserably. I still can't believe that he's my boyfriend.

He leans down and kisses me on the cheek, "You're on time for once."

His comment makes me blush. "Yeah, lucky, I guess."

He follows me the rest of the way to my locker, leaning against the wall as he watches me put in my combination.

"Do you want to come to my house after school?" James askes, hopefully.

"I can't. My parents want Emmett and me to meet the new guy and his family at the restaurant after school." I open my locker, starting to put the books that I won't need the first two periods of the day into it.

"Why?"

I shrug, continuing to put my things away. "I don't know, that's just how they like to do it." My parents think that it's important for us to be involved as much as possible with the business, teaching us how a restaurant is run in case one of us wants to follow in their foot-steps. They never press us to take over one day, they just want us to know how a business is run. It's never in the way that some parents groom their kids to be a part of the family business; they always tell us to do what we want with our lives. To follow our own dreams, not theirs.

"Okay, another time?" James asks disappointedly, his shoulders drooping a little, skip taken out of step. Since we'd started dating three weeks ago, we haven't spent much, if any, time together. Between my cheer practice and his soccer, we never see each other.

"Another time." I nod as the first bell rings.

James leans down and kisses me on the cheek again before leaving me to go to his first period. I watch him go, his hands going into his pockets. I feel bad having to say no to him, I really want to spend time with him. I would much rather do that then go to the stupid restaurant after school. Time with him is much more enticing.

Sighing, I close my locker and go to history, a class that I have with all my friends, which is dangerous. Claire, Rose, Alice, and me sit in a square in the back of the classroom. When the teacher assigned our seats, he didn't know what he was doing.

I walk into the classroom, I'm the only student here so far and I take my seat next to the window, placing my backpack at my feet.

Our teacher, Mr. Volturi, comes into the room carrying his lesson plans. He sets his things down, taking a moment to survey the classroom. By this point, most of the other students are in the room. My brothers across the room, Quil sitting behind him. Jasper had been exiled to the opposite side of the room from them; he sits two seats in front of me. When Mr. Volturi's eyes land on me, a slow smile spreads across his face. And I know exactly why.

"You're on time today."

I can't help the heat that rises to my cheeks at his words. I slide down in my seat, trying to ignore the laughs and the eyes of the other students.

Right before the final bell, Rose, Claire, and Alice walk into the room, taking their seats around me.

Rose taps me on the shoulder from her seat behind me, "You're actually on time." Her long blonde hair is in a ponytail, it's perfectly straight and smooth as silk. She could be a model in a shampoo commercial. I wish my hair looked like that, instead of its usual wavy, frizzy mess that looks like a bird's nest. She looks at me, her violet eyes dancing.

I glare at her, "You missed the teacher saying the exact same thing."

"He really said that?" Claire laughs, causing her black curls to bounce, her brown, almost black, eyes crinkling. The sky-blue top she's wearing makes her russet skin glow. She sits next to Rose. "How embarrassing!"

Alice joins into the quiet laughter at my expense. I reach my foot out and kick her desk to shut her up, but only serve in making her laugh harder. She's normally on my side! I knew that I could always find comradery in those gray eyes of hers. But today she's decided to cross the enemy lines.

I look at her, she's smirking. I know that it's all in fun, but I'm still embarrassed. She adjusts the headband in her black hair that she put hot pink streaks in last week. She's also wearing one of her creations today. Fashion is how she expresses herself, and what she's wearing today is no exception. She's paired an old band t-shirt with a denim jacket and black tights that have a few small holes in them, that I'm sure are there on purpose, she's meticulous like that. The outfit comes together with a pair of black combat boots.

Most of her wardrobe is secondhand (she says there's something poetic about giving new life to someone's castaways) or made herself. She's the only fourteen-year-old that I know who asked for a sewing machine for Christmas last year.

"Hmmhmm," Mr. Volturi clears his throat, making them stop laughing right away. "This is class, not recess."

The three of them sit straight ahead, looking embarrassed over being called out in front of the entire class. Show them to laugh at me!

The day goes much the same as first period. It's a morning filled with class, class, foot cramp, and more class. Middle school sucks. I can't wait to get out of here, not that I'm in a hurry for high school. I just want out of the purgatory that is middle school. It's three years filled with awkwardness, kids being mean to you, more awkwardness, and puberty. It isn't fun, and I swear us kids are at our worst at this age. We make each other's lives hell. Girls are at their cattiest and boys at their dickiest. Gotta love raging hormones! I sure do!

Mercifully, the bell for lunch rings, cutting off my language arts teacher's monotone lecture. If it hadn't rung when it did, I would've fallen asleep.

"Don't forget to read chapters two and three of _Tom Sawyer_ for tomorrow!" she calls out as we all scramble out of the classroom.

"How was language arts?" Alice comes up next to me. We're always the first to find each other, our class periods before lunch are right next to one another.

I open my mouth, sticking my finger in like I'm gagging. "How was math?"

"Same." She sighs, "Why must they put the most boring classes before lunch? I'm so hungry that I can't focus!"

"Yeah, that's why you have a D, it has nothing to do with the fact that you don't study." I tease, bumping my elbow with hers.

She growls at me, moving away so I can't reach. "Sometimes I really hate you, Swan." She hisses, giving me her most menacing stare.

"I'm quacking in my boots, Brandon."

The others are already at our usual table when we get there. Quil's already doing something to make Claire angry as he leans across the table to her. The two of them fight like two cats in a sack, barely able to be within two feet of each other, much less the width of a table.

"You're so disgusting!" Claire yells at him as he opens his mouth to show off the chewed food inside. She pushes him away with all her might, which barely moves him. "Quil! Cut. It. Out." She hits him hard on the shoulder, the sound alone making my own sting.

"Already tormenting her?" Alice asks, taking a seat next to him.

"One day you're going to end up with a black eye." I warn him, sitting next to Claire.

"She makes it so easy!" he exclaims, his mouth still full. He sits back down in his seat, ruffling his dark hair. His attention goes back to the notebook that he has open in front of him. Quil's been writing his own comics for as long as I've known him, the notebook is like another appendage.

Claire sneers at him, digging her fork into her school bought salad of lettuce, carrots, and sad looking tomatoes, as well as what looks like it's supposed to be chicken. My lip curls up looking at it, but she must like it because she buys it practically every day.

"What do you have?" Emmett comes up next to me, looking over my shoulder as I start pulling my own lunch out of my bag.

"Peanut butter and banana, you?" We always trade lunches because mom always gives us what the other likes. She always gives me peanut butter, and I hate peanut butter.

"Ham."

"Sold." We trade sandwiches, and he goes back to sit next to Jasper on the other side of Quil.

"Where's James?" Rose leans around Claire, taking a bite of her apple.

I take a bite of my sandwich, "He had to make up a test."

"Oh, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we will all miss his delightful lunchtime conversations." Her words reek of sarcasm. None of my friends like James and I don't understand why. He's sweet, funny, and treats me well. I don't understand what there's to dislike.

"Who's playing footsie with me?" Jasper calls out, looking under the table to find the culprit. His shaggy sandy blonde hair covering his blue eyes to the point that I don't know how he's able to see anything.

Rose's face gets bright red, "Sorry." She shoots my brother a quick glance, his face as red as hers. The two of them have been not so secretly dating for the past two months. They thought that no one knew, but we all knew. None of us have said anything about it because they were keeping it on the down low.

"Well," he sits back up. "Could you confine it to your boyfriend."

Both Emmett and Rose choke on their food, all of us laughing.

And that's how our lunches go.

After a few more hours of mind-numbing learning and teachers that act like they don't give a crap, it's finally time to go home. My backpack's heavy from the amount of homework that I have tonight, my back crying out in pain as Emmett and I wait in the carpool line for Mom.

"Back hurt?" Emmett beams at me when he hears me make a sound of pain.

I glare at him, making him smile bigger. Gosh darn him! He has all the easy teachers that don't give out as much homework!

"Shut up!" I hiss, adjusting my bag, my back sighing in relief when I see Mom pull up in front of where we're standing.

Emmett laughs at me when I sway because I'm so top heavy. I hit him hard on the back, reaching my hand out for the front seat before he can.

"Ha!" I exclaim when he gives me a look of discontentment.

"Not fair you got it last time!" he complains, opening the door for the backseat.

"I'm older!" I love using that card against him.

"By ten minutes, big whoop!" he grumbles, buckling his seatbelt.

"Good day?" Mom askes, highly amused by our exchange. I'm glad one of us is.

The ride to the restaurant is filled with Emmett continuing to complain about having to be in the backseat. By the time that we get to our destination, I no longer care that I can't spend time with my boyfriend, I just want to get as far from Emmett's whining as I can!

"Fine! You can have it next time!" I exclaim, getting out of the car and walking backwards on the asphalt of the parking lot.

I continue to walk backwards, waiting for him to acknowledge what I said, but he doesn't answer. What happens instead, is I run into someone, hearing the sound papers falling. My mouth pops open, involuntarily forming a perfect O. Embarrassment filling me for the second time today.

I turn quickly, kneeling down to help the poor guy I ran into pick up the papers he is desperately trying to keep from flying away.

"I am so, so sorry." I manage to get out as I grab papers like a mad woman. "I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay," the guy takes the papers from me, causing me to look up at him.

I stop breathing for a second when my eyes meet the most spectacular green eyes I have ever seen. This guy is the hottest guy I have ever laid eyes on. He puts James to shame, which causes me a twinge of guilt about finding someone other than my boyfriend attractive. But he is. He has full, pink lips, a sharp jaw, and crazy dirty blonde hair. I gulp. He's beautiful. And I'm staring like a fourteen-year-old girl, further embarrassing myself.

"I… I… I should have been paying attention." I stammer like an idiot, hormonal teenage girl.

We both slowly stand up, like one of those slow-motion scenes in the movies.

"Well, I have to go. Thanks for helping me." The guy motions his hand that was full of paper at me, starting to walk away, helping to pull me out of my daze.

"No problem." I turn back to Emmett, who has a very smug look on his face. I slap him upside the head.

"What was that for?" He holds his hands up in front of his face in case he must defend himself from another attack.

"You knew he was there, and you let me run into him anyway!" I accuse, which he doesn't deny, he just laughs to himself, satisfied with the way that he was able to get revenge on me.

"There you are!" Dad calls as we walk inside, finally. A man and a woman standing in front of him.

The man has blonde hair, brown eyes, and is tall. The woman has caramel colored hair, green eyes, and is small, much like Mom. They must be the new people.

"I thought that you two were right behind me." Mom lifts her brow at us.

"Bella had an accident in the parking lot." Emmett giggles, making me hit in the gut.

I roll my eyes, irritated that he's embarrassing me in front of these people that we don't know yet! He didn't even let me make a good impression. I can't imagine what these people thought about us. I can imagine that they think we're violent and irresponsible. But, on the other hand, they have a son our age. They're probably used to this.

"Carlisle, Esme," Dad starts, coming over to us and putting his arm around our shoulders, probably to prevent us from attacking each other further. "these are our children Emmett and Bella."

"It's nice to meet you," Esme shakes our hands, her skin soft and she smells faintly of perfume.

"Our son is around here somewhere." Carlisle comments, looking around. "Ah, Edward, come here. There are some people that I want you to meet!"

When their son rounds the corner of the wall of booths, all the blood drains out of me and I lose all control of my limbs. Because, there standing in front of me is the guy from the freaking parking lot.

He looks just as taken aback as me when he realizes who I am.

"Hey, I'm Emmett." My brother introduces himself like a normal human being while I continue to stand here with my mouth slightly open like a fish, unable to comprehend that this is the guy that I had just humiliated myself in front of in the parking lot.

Freaking great!

Emmett nudges me into motion with his elbow, making me come back to life.

"I'm Bella." I shake his hand; all the while Edward's fighting a smile. He seems amused by my lack of conversational skills.

"Glad to finally have a name to the face," his eyes twinkle with a hidden smile.

"You two know each other?" Esme looks between us, a crease of confusion between her brows.

Edward looks at his mother, dropping my hand. "Bella here helped me collect my forms for school after I dropped them in the parking lot." He mercifully leaves out the part about me being the reason that he'd dropped them in the first place.

"Well, that was sweet of you." She smiles at me, giving me a thankful pat on the shoulder. "It's good to know that there are still nice people your age."

I close my eyes after she walks away, leaving Edward and I alone as the rest of them are standing around talking.

"Thank you for not telling her… everything."

"Don't mention it." He winks at me with a sly smile.

When he looks at me like that, I have to remind myself that I have a boyfriend and am taken. Besides, we just met! Be rational! Don't let your girly hormones control your brain, Bella!

"So, where are you going to school?" I try to ask a question to redeem myself and to prove that I can carry on a normal conversation that isn't filled with stuttering.

"Green Hope. You?" _Crap, he's a high school guy! No way he'd go for me anyway._

"West Cary."

"That's the middle school, right?" he asks, his brow furrowing like he's trying to read a map in his head.

"Yeah." I reply shyly, scared over how he would react knowing that I'm still a lowly middle school goer.

"I actually know where that is." He seems proud of himself that he could place where something was. "I hated middle school, I'm so glad I graduated last June." He gives me a pointed look, telling me with his words and eyes that he knows why I'm acting weird. That he knows it's because I'm a middle schooler and he's a high schooler. He wants me to feel comfortable around him, and that makes me swoon a little.

 _Stop it! There is to be no swooning! He is NOT your boyfriend!_

"Edward, we have to go now!" Esme calls from the door, waving her son over.

"It was nice to meet you, Bella." Edward smiles at me, leaving me feeling dazed in his wake.

This is not good, I need to get myself under control. James. Think about James. That's good. Don't think about green eyes, a perfect smi…. No! Stop it!

 **A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed. The first few chapters didn't change much. For them it was mostly clean up. But, I did add a couple of things here and there that I thought added something. I will be posting once a week every Friday.**

 **See you next week!**


	2. Roman Holiday

**A/N: It's Tuesday, not Friday. I decided twice a week instead of just once. So, every Tuesday and Friday.**

 **Happy reading.**

2\. Roman Holiday

We'll be looking for sunlight  
Or the headlights  
Till our wide eyes burn blind  
We'll be lacing the same shoes  
That we've worn through  
To the bottom of the line  
And we know that we're headstrong  
And our heart's gone  
And the timing's never right  
But for now let's get away  
On a Roman holiday

-Roman Holiday, Halsey

"Al, I'm in trouble," I lay back on the bed, my body meeting the surface hard, making the bed squeak beneath me. "I did something really bad today."

I hear her sigh heavily on the other end of the phone. She's heard me say this so many times before over nothing serious. She knows how over dramatic I can be over things.

"What did you do?" She doesn't sound convinced that it's something bad, that she thinks that I'm over reacting, yet again.

"IthinkthatImayhaveaccidentallyflirtedwiththesonofthenewguymyparentshired." I rush, feeling guilty all over again. James. James is my boyfriend, he doesn't deserve me flirting with another guy that I find attractive. I am taken.

"What?!" she exclaims, the volume of her voice hurting my ears. I was worried that she didn't understand what I said, but she definitely did. "You flirted with who?"

I sigh, licking my lips. "So, maybe flirting is a bit of a stretch. But I did find him very cute."

"Oh my God!" she squeals, and I can hear her practically vibrating through the phone. "What does he look like?"

"Tall, the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen, pouty lips, and the most interesting bronze hair!" I can't fight the wide smile that comes to my face, my cheeks heating remembering what he looked like. Jeez, I already have a crush and I'd only been around him for maybe five minutes!

"Oh, he sounds so dreamy!" her voice takes on a dream like quality, swooning over my lack luster description that doesn't do him justice in the slightest. "There is only one thing for me to do. Spend as much time at your parent's restaurant as I can so I can see him!" she jokes, laughing.

I laugh to, it halts when I think about the guy that I should be. "What am I supposed to do? I have a boyfriend."

"Oh, yeah." She had gotten just as swept up as me, completely forgetting about James. "I don't know. I've never been in this situation. Remember, terminally single here."

"I guess that I'm just going to have to ignore Edward." I bite my lip, thinking about it's hard. How am I going to do it when he's around?

"His name is Edward?"

"Yeah."

"Bella and Edward… your names just seem to fit. You're totally meant to be." She jokes again, laughing at her own humor. But I find it hard. They do fit together.

Dad knocks on my door frame then, sticking his head in. "Hey, kid. It's getting late and you still have homework, time to get off the phone."

 _But we're talking about a really cute guy and swooning!_

"Okay, dad." I cover the mouthpiece as I answer him. "Gotta go. Homework."

"Ok, see tomorrow. Look at it this way, at least it'll be Friday!"

"Yeah, at least it'll be Friday."

I hang up, groaning. Why do they have to have such a ridiculously attractive son? Why can't he be ugly?

The entire next day at school, all the girls want to know every detail about Edward. Alice guiltily admitted to blabbing to them about my predicament. They don't stop bombarding me with questions, well, except at lunch when James is once again at our table. Every time that he kisses me on the cheek or touches my hand, I can't help but feel awful. Not only had I practically flirted with another guy, I've been talking about him non-stop to my friends. Bragging about the really cute guy that I'd met the day before.

"I can't believe that we had to hear the news from Alice!" Claire digs at me.

We're currently in gym class running laps as a warm up. Rose, Claire, and I are in the same gym period. Alice is in language arts right now, and I'm mentally torturing her to death for causing the grilling that I've been enduring all day about Edward. But I also don't mind because I'm still on my I-met-a-cute-guy-last-night-and-want-to-talk-about-him-nonstop high.

I resist the urge to groan. I know that she's just teasing, I can tell by the tone of her voice. It's the kind of person Claire is. She must give you a hard time about things like this.

Rose catches up to us, "What are we talking about?"

Claire blows the curls that have fallen on her face from her ponytail, "About how Bella told Alice about Mr. McHottie before us."

Rose's face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning, "Oh my gosh! How cute is he? I mean, Alice told us what he looked like, but we need details!"

Details? How am I supposed to give them details when I couldn't properly describe him when everything was fresh in my brain? So, I go with the one thing I know for certain: "He is by far the hottest guy that I have ever seen."

The squeals that they emit would give Alice a run for her money. They actually echo and cause some stares in our direction. Like the rest of our classmates need any more reason to think that we're weird.

The teacher blows her whistle, signaling for us all to come to the center so she can tell us what kind of torture we'll be enduring today.

"So, when do you think that you're going to see him again?" Rose whispered, conspiratorially to me.

"I don't know." I shrug. "It's not like we have each other's numbers. And it's also not like we've had a real conversation." I conveniently leave out about running into him. There are just some forms of humiliation that I don't want to relive.

"So," Claire intercedes. "Does that mean that you guys want to hangout this afternoon?"

"I can't. Dance practice." Rose's been doing competitive dance basically since she could walk. Dancing to her, was like painting is to me, as essential as breathing. I often wondered how she had time to cheer, too. If I tried to juggle like she does I'd fail miserably.

"James and I are getting together after school."

"Oh," Claire and Rose's demeanors change when I mention James.

"Seriously, what is so bad about my boyfriend?"

"Nothing really, he's just..." Claire trails off.

"Disgusting." Rose finishes. "He's always telling fart jokes and burping..."

"And the other guys don't?" I interject. Ms. Harris clears her throat, putting an end to our conversation, but I swear I hear one of them mutter "not like that," under their breath.

To make myself feel better, James and I hang out at his house after school. The whole time I'm on edge, trying to act like nothing is going on with me. At some point, he looks at me, asking me if I'm okay, because I'm acting like I'm like a lunatic and I know it.

"Yeah, I'm… fine." I smile at him probably a little too exaggeratedly, because he looks at me like I'm possessed.

He gives me a sideways look, turning the movie back on. "O…kay."

 _Bella, get yourself together! He's starting to think that something is up with you._

Before I leave his house, I apologize, giving him some lame excuse that it's because I'm stressed with school. Thankfully, he acts like the guy he is and takes it without further question.

The next day, I find myself at home alone. Dad's taken Emmett to Bond Park where he plays soccer for a city organized league. Mom's at the restaurant, which isn't new for her. She's there any chance she gets.

I'm sitting on the couch, watching _10 Things I Hate About You_ and binging on Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, wallowing over the fact that I have feelings for two guys, when the doorbell rings.

Sighing because someone has interrupted my pity party, I sit the pint of ice cream on the coffee table and go to answer the door.

"Oh, crap!" I exclaim when I see who's on the other side. Suddenly, my mouth feels like the Sahara Desert, my brain a sucking vacuum without thought. And I didn't realize that it's possible for my body to go stiff and limp at the same time. I'm sure that my mouth looks like a fish out of water.

Before I realize what, I've done, the door slams closed again.

Edward is on my front porch. And I'm alone, wearing my Hello Kitty pajama pants and a ratty old sweatshirt. My hair is a mess on top of my head in a bun. To top it all off I'm wearing matching Hello Kitty slippers. In the afternoon. And he saw me in them.

Oh God, I slammed the door in his face!

Quickly, I open the door, wondering if I'll ever not embarrass myself in front of him.

"Sorry about that… faulty… door." I pat the door like that will make it more believable that the door slammed closed in his face of its own accord, and not because I'm freaked out that he's standing on my porch… and is seeing me in my pajamas.

He looks highly amused. "Not a problem."

 _Glad I could give you entertainment, Mr. Hollywood! I bet girls where you're from didn't act spastic._

"Aren't you going to let me in?" he prompts when I don't move from where I'm clutching the door for all I'm worth.

"Oh… right." I move out of the way, letting him inside.

He steps inside the house, looking over what I'm wearing. "Nice PJ's."

I blush, wishing that I'm wearing something that isn't so… Hello Kitty. Why not Victoria's Secret? Now he's always going to see me as a child! "Thanks." I can't keep the sarcasm out of my voice as I close the door. "I'll be right back… I am going to…" I point to the stairs in front of us.

"Yeah." Edward nods in understanding and I run faster than I ever have up the stairs to my room that I swear that there's smoke from my feet burning through the carpet.

When I get up to my room, I shut the door with more force than necessary.

"So, stupid!" I chastise myself. "So, so stupid!"

I take a second to compose myself and find some respectable clothing. I throw on some black leggings and a longer white shirt. I can do this. I can be alone with him. I can… I can't do this! He is so cute and sweet, and did I mention cute? And he's in my house… waiting for me downstairs! Crap! I have no idea why he's here or how he knows where I live but hiding in my room the entire time isn't going to look good.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, I open the door to my room, taking the stairs at a normal pace, taking extra care not to trip.

"May I ask why you're here?" I ask when I meet back up with Edward where I left him in foyer, twirling the hair that's fallen out of my lack luster bun. Trying to act cool.

"Your brother called me last night, asked if I wanted to come over and hang out this afternoon." Edward shrugs, his hands going into his pockets. He rocks back on his heels like he doesn't know what to do either, which makes me feel better. We can clumsily get through this together.

"Oh," _Well, that was a bubble buster!_ "I guess that I could give you the tour?" I suggest, and he nods. "Well, this is the foyer," I gesture grandly around, making him laugh and causing some of the awkward tension to subside. "That way," I point to my right, "is the dining room. We don't use it unless we have company, the rest of the time we eat at the kitchen table." I walk to my left into the living room. "This is where we watch way too much TV."

"Nice," he comments, looking around the room, taking in the large flat screen TV that sits on a simple stand in front of a window, directly in front of our large white couch that has way too many throw pillows on it. Mom loves them, but I hate them, they make the couch so uncomfortable. "Is this you?" I didn't realize that he's wandered over to the fireplace and is now looking at a naked baby picture of me.

"No, that's my cousin Rob… Rachel. We haven't seen them in a long time. We used to see a lot of them, as you can see." I snatch the photo from him, hiding it behind my back. "I think that we should move on now." _God, I am so fourteen!_

I sit the picture back on the fireplace as he heads toward the sitting room that sits behind some French doors. The room connects the kitchen and living room. It has an old antique forest green chair and a grand piano. Edward's attention immediately goes to the glossy piece of furniture.

"Can you play?" Edward runs his hand along the piano in reverence, his hand gliding smoothly along the surface. He's looking at it like it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, and I wish that he would look at me that way.

"Only if Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star counts." Mom and dad have tried to get me into playing, but it never clicked. Emmett on the other hand loves it. He'd taken to it like he was always meant to play, excelling in the lessons with ease like every other thing that he does. He is a star basketball player and pianist.

"Do you mind?" he motions to the piano bench, asking if it's okay if he plays it.

"Go ahead," I cross my arms over my chest, still standing awkwardly in the middle of the sitting room. I don't know how to act with him here, alone with me.

He sits down, cracking his knuckles before his hands take to the keys, flying across them like they're an extension of his body. He's masterfully playing a song that I've never heard before, and I'm enraptured. I thought that Emmett was good, but he's no match for Edward.

"Wow," I breathe, walking closer to the him and the piano. "You're really good. What was that?"

He looks bashful, rubbing his hands along his jeans. "I wrote it."

My eyes almost bug out of my head. "You wrote that? It was… beautiful." There are so many other words that are better to use other than beautiful, but my mind isn't working. He'd written that. I've never done anything that impressive in my life. "Are you sure that you aren't secretly older than you are, because you played like no other kid I've seen."

He chuckles, "I'm sure. I'm not _that_ good." He tries to brush it off, not liking the doting that I'm directing at him. His humility only makes me like him more than I did before.

"Yes, you are."

His eyes shoot to mine, green meeting brown, and it's my turn to be bashful.

"That's a cool picture." Edward stands from the bench, going to look at the landscape painting on the wall. It's of the Irish countryside. It's a field of blooming flowers blowing in the wind, the sun's setting, making the sky look like it's on fire. "Where did you find this?"

I clear my throat, "I painted it."

He looks from the painting to me like he's astounded, like he can't believe that I'd painted it. "Really?" His voice disbelieving.

I nod, shuffling my feet, suddenly uncomfortable. It's been a long time since someone has openly praised something that I'd done like this, and I don't know how to take it anymore.

I'm about to ask him if he wants to continue the tour, anything to get the attention off me, when the front door opens.

"Bella?" Emmett calls out.

I sigh, the moment broken. "In here!" I call back. I can't help but feel a little sad that my one-on-one time with Edward has been cut short. Any chance that I had at Edward being interested in me as a friend was shattered when my brother came back. He is much cooler than I am, and I don't stand a chance at keeping Edward's attention.

Emmett comes into the sitting room, still in the clothes that he wore to practice. "Edward, I didn't know you were here." He comes over and gives Edward a fist bump, something that seems to be instinctual to all guys. "Let me change and we can do something." He grabs the guy, dragging him from the room and away from me.

Edward gives me a glance before he disappears through the door. I don't know what that look means, but I want to. I sit down on the bench, trying to sort out the mess that's in my head.

After Emmett drags Edward from me, I run to my room and call Rose, telling her that _he_ is in my house. She excitedly says that she'll be here in ten. It's been nearly twenty minutes and I'm anxiously awaiting her arrival. I'm freaking out here!

"What took you so long?" I ask, dragging Rose into the house by her sleeve.

She laughs at my haste. "I came as quickly as I could. It is raining out, you know." She takes off her raincoat. She lives a few streets over, so she'd walked here. "Where is he?"

I nod toward the living room, "He's in there playing video games with Emmett."

Rose walks slowly to the entry, peeking in to take a look. They're sitting on the couch, totally into what they're doing, completely oblivious that we're standing here ogling them.

"Wow!" she looks at me with large eyes, stepping further into the foyer so they can't hear us; her voice low. "Oh my God! You said he was hot, and he is. But oh my God, he's off the chart!"

"Rose!" I scold.

"Hey, I may be dating your brother, but I'm not blind." She defends, rolling her eyes.

"So, you see my dilemma?"

"No," she shakes her head, "he is so much hotter than James."

I glare at her, "You may not like my boyfriend, but I do."

"Fine," she sighs. "I guess it comes down to who you like more? I don't know." She pauses thinking for a second, "It's like you say you love strawberry cheesecake the first time you taste it, that nothing would ever come close to comparing. But then you remember chocolate, which has always been there for you. He's your old faithful, your guy." I don't know what is with the ice cream metaphor, it doesn't really help, it just makes me want ice cream. "Does it make sense?"

I shake my head at her in agitation.

"I tried." She shrugs.

I go and peek in on them again. While Edward is cute and cool and seems to like talking to me. We just met and don't know anything about each other. James and I have known each other for forever. I like James, there is a reason that I agreed to be his girlfriend. With that, I know where I stand.

"You're right." I turn back to her. "I like Edward, but not nearly as much as I like James."

Mom decides to come through the door then, interrupting our conversation. She's carrying a bag of take-out from the restaurant in her hand, struggling to wipe her rain-soaked hair out of her face with the other.

"Hey, you, two," she smiles, taking off her jacket and hanging it up on the coat rack by the door. "I didn't know that you were going to have two guests for dinner."

"It was a last-minute thing," I take the bag of food from her, helping while she takes off her jacket. I'm surprised she's made it home for dinner. "she just got here."

"Well, I'm sure that we can scrounge up enough food if you would like to stay for dinner, Rose."

"I'm not sure, I have to call home." I'm anxious as to what her answer is going to be, because when what my mom has just said sinks in, I'm freaking out about having to sit at the same table as Edward and making small talk.

 _Gulp!_

 **A/N: Nothing in this chapter changed, but I did add the gym scene. I felt like it needed it.**

 **See you next week.**


	3. That's What You Get

3\. That's What You Get

That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.  
That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.  
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating.  
And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.

\- That's What You Get, Paramore

The entire time that Rose's on the phone in our kitchen, I'm watching her like a hawk. Every second that goes by, my stomach drops a little more, thinking of the worst possible outcome: that they'll say that she can't stay.

I don't want to think about sitting down to that table without her. I won't make it! I've severely embarrassment myself twice in front of him, I can't do it again! I can't go through that humiliation. I'll have to run away, set my hair of fire, and change my name. I won't be able to face him again.

Rose says goodbye to her mother, hanging up the phone after what felt like the longest conversation in history, but was only about a minute. "I can stay." She says nonchalantly, like it isn't the biggest deal in the world that she's saving me from social suicide.

I reach out and hug her, her arms pinned at her sides by my grasp. "Thank God!"

"Someone needs to take a chill pill," she gasps for breath, "Swan, I can't breathe."

I let her go, stepping back to a safe distance, "Sorry."

"You need to relax," she puts her hands on my shoulders, shaking me slightly, like she's trying to force reason into me. "He is just a guy." She continues to shake me, causing me to get dizzy slightly.

I gawk at her, "You're the one that said that he was off the chart hot!"

Just a guy! That godlike creature of a boy sitting in my living room playing video games with my brother is not _just a guy_! How dare she say such a thing!

"You're the one that said she was happy with her boyfriend." She reminds, taking me down a notch. I did say that. Crap!

I shake my head to clear it, "Right, sorry."

Rose stands there smugly, her arms crossed over her chest. "You are so melodramatic! You're acting like this is _Twilight_ and between life and death!" she teases. She hates those books and can't understand why Claire, Alice, and I like them so much. They're good! She wouldn't know a good book if it hit her in the face. The main characters love is so swoon worthy!

I roll my eyes, "Whatever!"

"Girls, it's time for dinner!" Mom calls from the dining room.

The guys are just walking into the room the same time we are. Emmett's face lights up the moment that he sees Rose.

"Hey," he comes over to her, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips, the sight making me ill. "I didn't know you were here."

I reach to pull out the chair next Rose on the left side of the table, but my brother beats me to it. I've never seen him move so fast in my life, he looks up at me trying to act all innocent. I glare at him. Why must he be such a jerk?

"It's okay if I sit beside my girlfriend, right?" he asks too sweetly, giving me puppy dog eyes. I grimace. I know what he's doing. He's still bitter about me taking shotgun on the way home the other day and this is his way of getting back at me further.

I give him a tight smile, "No." I grit out, looking at the only empty chair left. Right next to Edward.

Emmett could be called many things, but stupid isn't one of them. He knew exactly what he was doing when he took that seat. He wants to see me squirm because he knows how awkward and uncomfortable, I am around Edward. I glare at my brother as I take my seat, all the while hoping that I don't do something stupid like drop the thing of mashed potatoes in Edward's lap before this ordeal is over.

On the outside, I'm calm and collected as we pass around the food, all of us taking a piece of oven-fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and sautéed green beans with shallots. But, on the inside, I'm freaking out.

Every time he moves, I can smell the cologne he's wearing, and I have to stop myself from smelling him every time he passes me something. I internally die when his fingers brush mine when he gives me the green beans. At that moment I understand why people say that they don't want to shower after shaking a celebrity's hand, I never want the feeling of his skin on mine gone.

"So," Dad speaks up, obliterating the silence in the room, "Edward, you're going to Green Hope, right?" Oh boy, here goes Dad's famous third degree. I share a withered look with Mom, sticking a green bean roughly into my mouth. If Dad wasn't been a restaurateur, he would've made one hell of a cop. He could get anyone to admit to anything, like he has to me and Emmett on more than one occasion. Like when we were six and broke Mom's favorite vase. Neither one of us wanted to admit to it, but two minutes with Dad had us spilling our guts.

"Yes, sir." He moves slightly in his seat. Edward obviously doesn't like having all the attention directed at him.

"Do you like it so far?" Dad sticks a piece of chicken in his mouth.

"Yes, sir."

"Any sports, instruments?" Dad continues, and I mentally start to think of all the ways that I could torture him to death. Strangulation. Decapitation. Smothering him with a pillow.

Edward takes a sip of his water, "No sports, but I do play piano."

"Oh, really?" Dad asks impressed.

"Yeah, he was nice enough to play me something earlier," I pipe up, making everyone turn and look at me and Edward blush. I chew slowly, mentally berating myself for opening my mouth. "Good chicken." I offer as a distraction.

"Maybe you could play something for all of us." Dad encourages.

"Dad!" Emmett and I reprimand. Neither one of us wanting our father to run away our new friend.

"The kids are right, Charlie." Mom steps in, "he's our guest."

"He played something for you?" Rose askes, trying to break the tension.

I try not to smile, "Yeah."

"When did this happen?" Emmett's brow furrows, trying to figure out when he'd been able to do this when they both had been glued to the couch since he got home.

"Before you got home," I say dismissively, like it's no big deal that I'd been in the house alone with him. Hoping, that Dad won't catch on to that snippet of information.

I had no such luck. Dad stuck to those words like super glue.

"You were here alone with him?" Dad jabs his fork at our dinner guest that is probably wishing he hadn't accepted the invitation to stay for dinner now that he's getting attacked and thrown under the bus.

I groan, "It was only five minutes, Dad." I start pushing food around my plate, not happy that his tirade is now directed at me.

"Only five minutes," he grumbles, no longer looking at Edward with the same adoration that he had been before.

"Charlie," Mom warns, "We'll talk about it later."

Edward tries to offer him a small, apologetic smile, but it doesn't help. Dad continues to glare at him, slowly chewing.

 _Thanks a lot_ , Emmett mouths to me, making me glare at him. He asked me a question, I answered! If it is anyone's fault it's his for asking in the first place!

After the worst dinner of my life is finally over, our friends start to leave. Mom asks both if they want a ride because it's still raining, but they both decline. That's also how I find out that Edward lives _two_ blocks from us. He lives so close! How did I not know sooner? Once they're gone, Emmett and I are sent to do the dishes while mom makes dad have that talk.

"Why do you have to ruin everything?" Emmett asks as he loads the dishes that I'm rinsing into the dishwasher.

I growl at him. He always blames me for everything!

"You asked me a question!" I shove the plate that I was rinsing, roughly into his hands.

"You didn't have to answer!"

"Yeah, and then you would be mad at me for not answering instead! I hate that you make everything my fault!" I throw the rag that I was using into the soapy water of the sink. I'm so done with him right now.

"He's probably never coming over here again." Emmett puts his hands on the counter, leaning over it, his lips rubbing together. That right there is why he's so mad, and I feel my anger start to fade away.

"Well," I lean against the counter as well, facing him. "Dad didn't run away any of the others, I highly doubt he ran him away."

"You're right, I guess."

"Oh, so you admit that I can be right?" I tease, shoving him lightly on the shoulder, both of us laughing.

"Hey, kids," Dad walks into the kitchen, going over to the fridge to get a beer, both of us glaring at him. "What?" he asks once he emerges from the icy box.

I cross my arms over my chest, "Did you really have to give him the third degree?"

Dad shrugs nonchalantly, neither confirming or denying that he'd done so.

Emmett lets out a disgusted sigh, "Really, Dad? Do you just want to run away every friend that we bring home?"

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to get to know your children's friends. I just want to know the type of kids you're hanging out with." He takes a sip of his beer, leaving us alone to go football.

Emmett and I finish the kitchen, each of us retiring to our rooms.

I close the door behind me, going over to the desk that houses my computer on the opposite wall of my bed.

My room really reflects me. It's light pink in color, with white trim. I have a furry rug on the floor under the desk. The desk itself had been Dad's old one. It's black painted wood that rocks back and forth, so I have to constantly stick a piece of paper under the back-left leg. I have a small walk in closet next to my in-suite bathroom, which is always a mess. I always have clothes everywhere. Mom claims that I don't know how to put anything away. My bed is a simple full-size bed. It's an antique from Mom's side of the family. It's blue wrought-iron with miss-matched bedding on it. In the corner, next to my desk, is my easel. I've had it for years and it's covered in paint. The picture I'm currently working on is on it. It's a painting of a picture that I found on the internet of the rocky coast of California.

I sit at my desk, turning on the CPU. As soon as it's through the blue loading screen, I click onto my web browser, going straight to Facebook, a message popping up as soon as it shows that I'm online.

Claire: Finally, you're online. Rose told us all about Mr. McHottie. We need the deets!

I laugh at her message. The girls and I have a group chat that we talk on practically every night.

Bella: If Rose told you everything, what's there left to tell?

I taunt them. I still can't believe that he'd been in my house! Nor can I believe that he saw me in my pajamas! I'm never going to be able to forget that no matter how hard I try.

Alice: Don't play coy, Swan! We want to know what happened while you two were alone.

I sigh. Of course, she'd told them about that.

Bella: Well, first of all, he saw me in my pajamas. In the middle of the afternoon!

Rose: You're kidding! You left out that part!

I roll my eyes.

Bella: Wouldn't you?

Claire: What else?

Bella: Nothing really. I showed him around the house and he played the piano for me.

Alice: That is so hot! What did he play?

Claire: He sounds so talented! I want an Edward for myself!

Bella: I don't know exactly what it was he played. He said that he wrote it.

Rose: Emmett's never played anything that he's written before. I'm so jealous.

Alice: *swoon*

Claire: I'm officially jealous of you!

Bella: He even seemed impressed by that painting that I did over the summer.

Alice: He should've been, it's impressive.

Bella: Having a guy say it's impressive is different than having your friends say it is.

Claire: Totally. Sounds like it went pretty well.

Rose: It did until her dad gave him the third degree.

I swallow thickly. Rose and Edward had left at the same time, and I'm worried that her words have a double meaning. Like he'd told her something on their walk. Like maybe about how he didn't want to ever come here again? Or worse, never want to see me… I mean, my brother and I again.

Bella: Did Edward say something to you?

Rose: Nothing bad. We both bonded over your Dad's over protective nature. He was cool with it if that's what you're worried about.

Bella: Really?

Rose: Really. You have nothing to worry about.

I bite my lip to keep from smiling. I'm about to respond when a notification popped up

at the top of the screen, letting me know that I've gotten a friend request.

 _Edward Cullen has sent you a friend request._ When I read those words, I have to cover my mouth so the squeal that I emit won't scare anyone. He asked me to be his Facebook friend! I hit the accept button faster than I have for any other.

I quickly go back to the group chat.

Bella: You will never guess who friended me!

Claire: Holy crap! No way!

Rose: :)

Alice: Send us a picture! I want to see him!

I roll my eyes. Of course, Alice would be the one to ask for a picture.

I go on his page, copying and pasting his profile picture. It's of him on a beach, shirtless. I can't help but bit my lip, drooling from being able to see his abs. He's toned just enough. He's smiling with a pair of sunglasses on his head.

I share the picture with them, making them freak out. All of them unable to stop talking about how hot he is.


	4. Wait

4\. Wait

There's no end, there is no goodbye  
Disappear with night

-Wait, M83

Edward: Great picture!

Since Edward commented that on my profile picture, I haven't been able to stop reading it. The picture was taken by Mom at a basketball game. I'm standing on the sidelines with my cheerleading uniform on, hands behind my back, smiling. It's a picture I liked, obviously, I made it my profile picture; but him commenting that just made me like it more.

While trying to control my Cheshire cat grin, I put my phone away in locker, closing it so I can go to first period.

"Hey."

I jump ten feet in the air at the sound of James's voice. He is standing beside my locker, once again leaning against the wall. He's wearing his usual button-down shirt and jeans. The sight of him isn't making my heart skip a beat like it normally does.

I place my hand over my racing heart, "You scared me." I clutch my history book closely to my chest, willing the adrenaline in my system to slow down.

"Sorry," he replies sheepishly, his hands in his pockets. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay." I play with the fraying edge on my textbook, not wanting him to feel bad over something as stupid as startling me.

"How was your weekend?" he asks suddenly, causing me to blush. My weekend had been good. None of the goodness having been because of him. With that thought, I have a hard time looking him in the eye.

"It was good," I reply casually, the warning bell ringing. "I'll see you after class."

I turn to walk toward history, expecting him to start in the other direction toward his class, but he follows me instead. This is new, he's never walked me to class before.

"So, nothing exciting happened over the weekend?" he presses, and I look up to meet his anxious eyes. This is different. I've never seen him act this way, and it's making me nervous.

"No, I just did homework." I conveniently leave out the part about Edward coming over and seeing a naked baby pictures of me, who then ended up getting interrogated by my father after I'd thrown us both under the bus about having been in the house alone. "Why?"

He fidgets around some, shaking his hands out at his sides, "What was with that guy friending you on Facebook?"

I feel the blood drain out of my face, and look up at him in shock, tripping over my own feet. Of course, Facebook is a public site and all your other friends can see all your recent friendships, but I hadn't really thought about James seeing it. I've been too swept up in the fact that Edward had friended me at all and obsessively scrolling through his page, to really think about anything else.

"What?" I ask once I've gotten myself together, trying to act like I wasn't having heart palpitations over his question.

"Who is he?" James and I pause outside of the classroom. He continues to look at me with a tortured expression, waiting for me to respond, and I'm having a hard time thinking. His questions caught me off guard.

I run my fingers through my hair, "He's the son of my parent's new business partner. He and Emmett hung out at our house on Saturday."

He visibly relaxes, "Oh."

"Yeah."

Awkwardness ensues, neither of us looking at the other. The warning bell rings, finally bringing us back to the world of reality. Thank God.

"See you at lunch," he rushes away, barely looking back, heading toward the other end of the hall to his first period. He's going to be late, but I don't think that he cares.

I go into history class, taking my seat, still reeling from the encounter that I just had in the hallway. Talking with James's never been awkward and uncomfortable and ending with a bad taste in my mouth. While I said that I'm happy being with him, I haven't really been acting like it.

 _You okay?_ Alice mouths as Mr. Volturi comes into the room. He's wearing a sweater vest over a white button-down and a tie. He always wears the same thing on Monday's.

I nod my head, blowing her off slightly, my attention on the front of the room. I'm a confused mess and don't feel much like talking about it.

"Class, it's time for our first project!" Mr. Volturi rubs his hands together like a mad scientist inflicting pain on his experiments. He seems a little too over joyed about the harmonious groans he receives. "It's a group project, groups of two or three. Each group is going to do research over a county in North Carolina," he starts to pass out the directions. "It will be due the Monday before we get out for Thanksgiving. Collect your things, we're going to the library, so you can get started. Pick out your partners."

"Partner?" Alice asks, getting her backpack.

"Partner."

Mr. Volturi tries to keep us to a single file line but fails miserably. We talk and wander all over the halls the entire way there.

Once we get to the library, we all take seats at the computers in the center of the room. It smells of old books and dust. I put my backpack on the floor, logging onto the computer.

"I can't believe you live _two_ blocks from that!" Claire gushes in whispered tones, leaning over to talk to me from her computer. She doesn't even have to say his name for me to know who she's talking about. I'm already hyperaware of him.

"I can't believe I live _six_ blocks from that!" Rose leans over from her computer behind us.

"I just can't believe how hot he is!" Alice throws in from her computer in front me. "You're so lucky that you get to see him all the time!"

I try to smile at all their gushing, but it comes out forced and fake feeling.

"What's wrong?" Alice asks, concern filling her eyes. "Saturday night you couldn't gush about him enough, and now you're sitting there like we're talking about your dead aunt."

I sigh, clicking on an article on Google so I can start taking notes for our project. "James saw on Facebook that we're now friends, and kind of freaked out. I just feel weird talking about Edward now." I find myself happy that he hadn't seemed to notice that Edward had commented on that photo. I can't imagine what his reaction would've been if he'd seen that.

"Ah," Claire looks smug, "James is jealous."

"Ha!" I laugh, "No, he's not!" James is more secure than that, right?

But, the more I think about our conversation, the more what Claire says makes sense. James's been on edge, clearly not happy that I've been spending time with another guy. A weird combination of guilt and pride fill me. Guilt, because I hadn't even really thought much about James since Edward came into the picture. Pride, because of the knowledge that I'm able to make him feel that way.

"Oh my gosh, you're right," I mumble. James is jealous.

Claire brushes her fingers along her shoulder like she's brushing dirt off it, "I have a gift for these things."

"But he has nothing to worry about. Edward and I aren't even _actually_ friends, only digital."

"Yeah, but he's a hot older guy. Of course, that'll make him feel insecure." Rose hops in with her two cents. How are they all so informed on this, when I'm clueless?

"Then, what do I do to make him feel better? Ignore Edward?" I chew my lip, skimming the page of information about Rowan County on my computer.

Alice shrugs, "I guess?"

"Then that's what I'll have to do." The last time that I said I was going to ignore Edward, it hadn't gone very well. He ended up showing up on my front porch when I was home alone. Obviously, I couldn't ignore him in that situation. I'll just have to make sure that I'm never alone with him again.

The rest of the day goes by uneventfully. I end up bombing a pop quiz in language arts because I forgot to read over the weekend. At lunch, I give James all my attention. I'm feeling like a bad girlfriend and want to prove to him that he has nothing to worry about. He's my boyfriend.

After school, I have cheerleading practice. James promises me that he's going to call me later that night after I get home. He kisses me on the cheek before Rose and I walk into the gym for practice.

Normally, I'm excited about practice, but today it doesn't hold my attention the way it usually does. I end up almost punching Lauren in the face when we're practicing one of our cheers. She sneers at me, clearly not happy with how close my fist got to her face. She isn't a huge fan of mine anyway. I'm more than happy to get in the car to go home.

I've resigned myself, once again, to ignoring Edward, but it proves difficult when Mom pulls into the driveway, and there he is; playing basketball with Emmett, the ball bouncing off the rim after he takes a shot. They're both wearing thin white t-shirts and basketball shorts in the fading light of this late October evening, and I wonder how they aren't cold.

I get out of the car, leaving my backpack inside because, for once, I don't have homework.

"Hello again, Edward." Mom smiles at him, waving as she heads toward the house.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett runs over to me, sweat rolling down his forehead. "would you mind keeping Edward company while I go get us some water? Thanks." He doesn't let me answer him before he's running for the house.

 _Great, just what I didn't want to happen!_

As both Mom and Emmett go into the house, I want to call after them, make one of them stay out here with me. I can feel Edward's eyes on me, scrutinizing me from where he stands, holding the ball, waiting for me to say something. But my brain isn't working, and I'm supposed to be ignoring him.

He must have given up on waiting for me, because he's the one to break the silence.

"Do you play?" he motions to the ball that he's clutching in his left hand, asking me if I want to join him while he waits for Emmett to come back with those bottles of water that he promised.

I gulp. I've never been one to be sporty. The last time that we'd played in gym class, I'd gotten a ball more to the face than in the actual basket. I was sure that I was going to have the word Wilson impressed into my cheek the rest of the day.

"Not really," I shake my head so hard that I feel like a bobble-head. "not safely anyway. The only thing that I can do is dribble, and that isn't even consistent…" I ramble on, stopping myself from trailing off further so he won't think that I'm an idiot.

"Why're you always so jumpy when I'm around you?" he bounces the basketball to me.

I catch it, miraculously. Does he not own a mirror? Is he really that clueless as to what he looks like?

"I am not," I speak dismissively, grimacing when I think about how I'd slammed the door in his face Saturday afternoon. No, I wasn't jumpy at all. Apparently, I'm not as good at playing it cool like I think I am. I'm more like a steamroller flattening freshly poured cement.

He lifts a brow, a smug smirk on his face. He knows exactly the affect that he has on me.

"Ugh," I bounce the ball back to him, wanting my brother to come back out of the house sooner. I swear that it feels like it's taking him twice as long than it usually does. "Fine! I am! Are you happy now?"

He chuckles, dribbling where he stands. "Yes." The smile that he gives me does things to my insides that I push down deep.

I huff, "Of course you are," I gripe, making him laugh harder as he passes me the ball again. When I'm not so focused on playing it cool, it isn't as hard to talk to him. I'm actually talking to him like a normal person, and not like the babbling fool that's taken over my body in the past.

"How are you liking it here so far?" I can't imagine the culture shock that he must be feeling. North Carolina is cold, wet, rainy; the antithesis of what California is with its warm weather and perpetually dry days. He's used to living around glitz and glamor, something that Cary can't provide. I can't imagine how boring it must be for him to be here when he's used to that kind of lifestyle.

He passes the ball to me, taking a moment to think before he responds. "Yeah, it's quiet… and different. But I like it."

"Really?" I ask disbelievingly, giving the ball back to him. Something tells me that he isn't being entirely truthful.

He holds the ball in his hands, "I miss my friends… and my dad."

"Your dad?" I ask confused. But I'd just met his dad, hadn't I?

He nods, "Yeah. Scott is my step-dad. He and my mom got married a couple of years ago."

"Oh." I get the ball back from him. "Sorry, I didn't realize."

He shrugs it off, "It's no big deal. My parents have been divorced for a long time, I can talk about it no problem now."

"Your dad's still in California, then?" I can't imagine being across the country from my dad.  
He nods again, "Yeah. It's been an adjustment not seeing him all the time." He lets out a relieved breath, "You're the first person that I've talked to about this, it feels good to get it off my chest."

He confided in me! Not my brother, me!

I'm about to tell him how flattered I am that he trusts me enough to tell me these things, but Emmett comes out of the house then, carrying the waters. My brother always does have perfect timing!

Emmett comes running over, giving Edward his water. "Sorry that I was gone so long, Jasper called about our group history project."

Edward shrugs, opening his water and taking a long drag. "No problem."

"Your boyfriend is on the phone." Emmett takes the ball from me, dismissing me from the game like a referee.

"Okay," I star to turn toward the house. "'Bye, Edward."

He lifts his hand slightly in parting, as I go inside to talk to James.

We talk on the phone longer than we ever have. He laughs when I tell him about almost punching Lauren Mallory in the face, saying she deserves it because of how mean she can be. I laugh, too. It's easy and not awkward, and it seems we've moved passed that stunt in the hallway. That we're moving forward, and everything is going to be fine. Talking to him, I start to remember why I'd liked him so much.

Before I know it, thirty minutes have passed, and Mom is telling me to get off the phone. Dad got pizza on his way home.

Emmett and Edward walk into the kitchen. I hadn't realized that he was going to be staying for dinner. They act like they're hunger ravaged beasts as they attack the pizza. Our parents learned over the years with Emmett's appetite to get at least three pizzas. But with both, I don't think that that's going to be enough.

Mom looks at them with as much amusement as I am.

As I take a bite of my own pizza, I know that it isn't going to end well. The cheese stretches beyond my arm's reach. There's no turning back as the cheese and pepperoni string break off, hanging down my chin.

 _Great! This would be equally as embarrassing in front of James!_


	5. Wonderwall

5\. Wonderwall

Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me  
And after all, you're my wonderwall

\- Wonderwall, Oasis

I am utterly humiliated.

But what's new?

Emmett's laughing at me and I want to slug him.

I pull the cheese thread apart, throwing it angrily onto my plate. I can feel the left behind grease on my chin, wiping it off with the back of my hand. My face is tomato red, I can feel it, and I'm angry. I'm angry that Emmett is laughing at me. I'm having thoughts of lunging at him over the table and shoving his face into his own plate, letting him know how it feels to be covered in cheese and grease, with marinara sauce all down _his_ front. But I don't do that. I can't do that. There's no way that our parents will let me kill him.

"Emmett! It's not that funny, cut it out!" I growl, taking the napkin that mom offers me and wiping my hands and face with it. What I really want to do with it is shove it down his throat.

"Come on, man. She's right cut it out." Edward comes to my defense, and I freeze. He's sticking up for me. None of Emmett's friends have ever stuck up for me before. I'm starting to think that he isn't just my brother's friend. Maybe he's also mine. Maybe we're more than just digital friends after all.

Emmett's laughter dies down, and he's looking at Edward like he's grown two heads.

"You can't tell me that that wasn't funny?" he questions, his brow lifted. He can't comprehend that what he finds funny or interesting, some people don't. This is one of my enigmatic brother's down falls. He passive aggressively tells people that they should get with the program.

"I just don't think laughing at someone's expense is all that funny," Edward takes a bite of his pizza, totally unfazed by my brother trying to get him to bow to his will, which is what he's used to. In our overlapping circle of friends, none of them hadn't done what he wanted before.

Our parents are just as quiet as I am, probably just as impressed at the boy that had only been in our lives for a couple of days. He has integrity. Something that I can't say about my brother.

 _Thank you_ , I mouth to Edward. I'm more grateful for what he'd done than he'll ever know.

 _No problem_ , he mouths back, taking another bite of his pizza.

I look back down at my plate, but I'm no longer hungry. Partly because I'm afraid of the same thing happening, and partly because this beautiful boy had come to my rescue. And I have no idea why. He could have easily not said anything and let it run its course, but he hadn't. I think he's starting to see me as his friend just as much as my brother. He'd confided in me in the driveway, saying that I'm the first person that he's told that to. That made me feel a little special.

Mom offers me a fork when she sees that I'm not eating, but I decline. I'm too afraid that I'll gauge my brother's eyes out with it.

After dinner, when Edward's leaving, I catch up with him at the door before he's able to leave, touching his arm to get his attention. It feels weird touching him, taboo.

"Thank you, again. You really didn't have to do that."

Edward shrugs lightly, a weird looking soft smile on his face that I can't read. "It's what friends do, Bella."

With that, he's gone out the door, it closes with a soft click behind him and I'm reeling.

 _It's what friends do, Bella._

My little fourteen-year-old heart can't take it and I run up the stairs to tell the girls all about it in our nightly group chat. Unable to contain my enthusiasm over _him_ calling me his friend. It's one thing for me to think that I am, it's another for him to say it.

I can't stop thinking about the conversation that we had in the driveway and the fact that he's across the country from his father. I'm close to my dad and I can't fathom being thousands of miles from him, nor could I imagine him not coming into my room every night and kissing me on the forehead when he thinks that I'm asleep. This is one of my favorite times. I love the smell of Old Spice on his shower fresh skin, the way his five o'clock shadow tickles.

Edward must be close to his dad because he mentioned that it's an adjustment not seeing him all the time. I try to put myself in his shoes, to understand what he's feeling, but I find it impossible. It's hard to come up with feelings for something that I've never experienced. He's going through so much; his life having changed drastically. I wonder if he's homesick, if he's wishing that he could go back. And thinking about that makes me realize that I'd miss him if he left.

 _Here you go with the girly hormones, Bella! You've only known him a couple of days! Stop being so insta-lovey!_

But it's true. I would miss him if he left. Though, I've only known him a couple of days, the impression that he's left on me is infinite. Besides his outwardly appearance and my obvious attraction, it's nice having someone that wants to have a deep conversation with me away from the melancholy that is my average teenage existence. It's nice talking about something that isn't Mr. Volturi's never-ending supply of sweater vests and Lauren Mallory's queen bee attitude. Edward's away from all of that, an escape that I didn't realize that I wanted until it was given to me. I love my friends dearly, always will. It's just nice having an escape from my reality occasionally.

As I lay on my bed, listening to music later in the night, Emmett walks in, taking a seat in my desk chair. He doesn't say anything for a long time and I continue to look up at the ceiling, letting the voice of Alicia Keys wash over me. Letting her tell me how hard it is to try to sleep with a broken heart because that's the kind of mood that I'm in. Deep, contemplative. I'm not exactly thrilled that my brother has interrupted my emo-ness.

"What?" I ask finally, just wanting him to tell me what's on his mind so that he can leave.

He sighs heavily and exaggerated. Oh boy, here we go. "I've been thinking about what Edward said." Not exactly what I'm expecting, but okay.

I sit up in bed, completely ignoring my pillow hair, "What about?"

"About taking it too far… like at dinner." Oh. My. Gosh. He is actually feeling bad! Houston, we have a problem, Emmett is not himself! He's actually feeling something, like he might have a soul.

I look at him like he's demented. I love my brother, I love the relationship that I have with him. If anything were to change, I wouldn't like it, not one bit. "While you do sometimes take it too far, I wouldn't like it if you stopped teasing me. It's what we do." I lean back on the bed. "Besides it would totally freak mom and dad out if the house was actually quiet for once."

"Really?" he plops down on the bed, throwing himself across my body, crushing me into the mattress with a force that I wasn't aware that he has. "Are you sure?"

I gasp for breath, finding it hard not to laugh at his antics. "Right now? Not really!"

"What are you two doing?" We both stop and look at Mom in the doorway. She's standing there with an amused smile and her arms crossed. Emmett doesn't move from his position over my middle, and it's getting increasingly harder to breathe.

"Nothing," we both say at the same time.

"Well, it's after ten. Time to call it a night."

"Okay." We both speak in unison again as she turns and leaves, going to our parents' bedroom and disappearing into it.

"Get off!" I push with all my might, propelling his body to the floor with an audible thud.

"You're so going to get it later!" he says as he gingerly gets up, throwing me a sharp look as he leaves.

"I expect it!" I yelled back at him as he leaves my room without closing the door.

His only response is to stick his tongue out at me.

The next day at school, James once again walks me to first period, kissing me on the cheek. This seems like it's going to be our new thing, not that I mind. I like the extra time that I get to spend with him. He seems more relaxed than he did the day before and I'm happy about that. It seems like we're back to our even keel. We even hold hands on the way to lunch.

After the final bell rang, he walks me to my locker and with another promise to call me later, he's gone.

"Well, you two seem like you're back on track." Rose comes over to me, her books already gathered and in her arms, instead of her backpack. That's her thing. She carries her books everywhere instead of putting them in her bag. If I tried to do that, my arms would fall off from my lack of upper body strength.

I sigh, not even trying to stifle the smile that comes to my face. "Yeah we are."

I lurch forward as someone runs into me from behind, continuing down the hall without stopping, no apology. Victoria. She's one Lauren's entourage and walks around with her nose raised equally as high. She has fire red hair and eyes so blue that they could pierce straight through you. If middle school was a kingdom, they'd be queen.

Heck, with the way people parted like the red sea and walked on egg shells around them, it seems like they already are royalty. In the terms of middle school hierarchy, everyone treats them with a respect that they don't deserve all because they're popular. I choose to ignore them. They aren't worth my attention.

Except when I scowl at them for running into me.

I slam my locker shut, leaning against it. "I really don't like her."

Rose leans against the locker next to mine, "I don't like her either. I don't think that anyone really does, they're just too afraid to say it because they're too busy kissing their butts."

"How's Kate, she's hasn't been around as much recently?" I turn my body more toward hers. Rose has a sister that's two years older than us. Since she turned sixteen, she hasn't spent as much time with us. She used to spend weekends watching movies with the four of us and giving us makeovers. Since she'd gotten her license, she's chosen to spend time out with her friends and with boys. The two of them had been thicker than thieves before she dropped her.

Rose rolls her eyes, "The same. She's been hanging out with that boyfriend of hers." She isn't a huge fan of her sister's choice of guy. Apparently, he's loud and obnoxious and eats all the food in their house. Their parents aren't much of a fan either. Especially when they found them in Kate's room doing salacious things with the door closed when they arrived home one evening. "I miss spending time with her."

"I do, too." I push off my perch. "Are you ready to go?" We're driving her home today under the guise that we're going to be doing homework together. Unlike me, Rose is a math whiz, and I really need the help. I don't think that there'll be much studying since my brother is going to be home. They'll more than likely end up sucking face.

"Yeah," she sighs, following me out of the building.

Thursday afternoon, we have a home basketball game. My brother's playing, because there doesn't seem a sport that he isn't good at. Rose helps me put the bow in my hair, using the small mirror in my locker to make sure that she's getting it in the right place.

It's our first home game of the season, and our parents have made sure to be here. They're sitting proudly a few rows up on the right side of the gym, talking to Rose's mom, wearing our school colors and wielding pompoms, because they're _those_ parents.

We're playing East Cary, our biggest rival, and it's going normally. We're leading for the first time this season, so when it's time for our half-time routine, we're more energetic than normal.

Everything's going well, until it's not.

OH! MY! GOD!

Edward's here, sitting in stands with two guys that I have never seen before. And I'm frozen. Mid-cheer. In front of everyone. Honestly, that I could easily get over, but the fact that Edward's eyes find mine, a smirk coming to his lips, that makes me want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. Just knowing that he's in the room makes me feel like I can't breathe.

 _Why can't I just die now?_

Lauren almost bulldozes me, giving me a look of pure death, because I just made us mess up in front of a crowd. Which is yet another thing that she can add to her reasons not to like me. I'm pretty sure that makes it a billion and one.

I finally get my limbs to start working again, my eyes meeting Rose's momentarily. Her eyebrows are raised, obviously she saw the whole thing. But, really, who didn't? I was many things, but subtle isn't one them. No matter how hard I try to pretend.

Once we're done with our half-time routine, I drag Rose to the girl's bathroom located outside the gym. I'm anxiously pacing in front of her, the moment replaying over and over in my head in one long perpetual, humiliating loop.

"It wasn't that bad," She's trying to be the voice of reason as usual, to get me to calm down, but it's not working. All I want to do is crawl under a rock.

I whip around to face her, "He's here!" I hiss.

"He who? Edward?" Rose looks confused. "Maybe he didn't see?" Her voice is so hopeful, but also skeptical.

"We made eye contact. He saw the whole thing... and Lauren looked like she wanted to kill me." I lean against one of the sinks and take some calming breaths.

"Ugh," Rose exclaims, "Forget her. Even if that hadn't happened, she'd still want to kill you. She's just bitter because you made captain over her."

"Why's he here?" This seems to be a theme with him, him showing up out of the blue and catching me off guard. The worst part is, he knows exactly what it does to me. He even enjoys it, I can tell by the smirk. The boy is truly evil. And I love every second of it.

She shrugs, "I don't know, but half-time's almost over. We need to head back out."

I think this is the one time that I can actually say that I'm not looking forward to going back in there.

We head out of the bathroom, just as Edward and his two friends come walking out of the gym. They head right over to my brother, whose standing at the concession stand table that's been set up in the lobby. Emmett and Edward fist bump, and Edward introduces my brother to his friends.

Of course, they came to see Emmett play. Did I really think that he was here for me?

 _Just because he calls you his friend, doesn't mean that his life revolves around you. Not everyone is a stalker like you are._

The rest of the squad's already back in the gym, standing on the sidelines, drinking bottles of water and talking quietly in groups. Lauren and Victoria are talking in hushed tones, occasionally casting me a glance. I can imagine the types of things they're saying about me, none of them being flattering. They're probably planning my flogging for freezing by now.

Rose and I get back in our places, as the others do, and I tighten my ponytail.

"Nice outfit." The moment he speaks to me, it feels like everything else around me goes silent. I can see out of the corner of my eye that Lauren and Victoria are looking at me intently, and they're not the only ones. I can feel the eyes of the entire squad on me. Not that I could care less. But I also kind of do. I want them to see him talking to me.

I turn to face him. He's standing in front of me, wearing that famous smirk of his, and the fact that he's so close to me I swear makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Thanks." I say, ignoring the eyes that are drilling holes into my back.

"Nice routine earlier," he teases. "even though I thought the purpose was to all be in sync." The corner of his mouth twitch. He's teasing me, and I both hate and love him for it.

I blush so hard that I swear it's not just my face that's red, it's my entire being. I wrack my brain for something snarky to say back, but as usual when he's in close proximity, my mind isn't working. Luckily, his friends calling to him as they head back to their seats, saves me from having to form words and put them into sentences. Which, apparently, I'm incapable of doing at the moment.

He sticks his hand up in a kind of half wave, letting them know silently that he's on his way.

"Talk to you later, I guess." he backs away from me, before walking up the steps to catch up to his friends.

I lift my hand in a half-hearted wave, "Talk to you later." My response is a second too late. His back is already turned.

I look at Rose, who's hiding her face behind her pom-poms, so I won't see that she's laughing at me.

 _So much for solidarity._

The rest of the game, I have to force myself not to look at the stands. Just knowing he's up there makes me self-conscious. We end up winning the game, which is a rarity this season. By the time that we're all done with the excitement and congratulating the team, Edward and his friends are gone. And that fact saddens me more than I want to admit.

Friday goes by in a haze. Before I know it, it's Saturday again. Unlike the week before, mom's home. She's taking a rare day off and is reading on the couch next to me while I watch a movie when the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it," I get up from the couch, my Hello Kitty slippers squishing beneath my feet.

When I open the door, I'm not as surprised as last time… or as embarrassed. Half of me is expecting to find him out here, and I'm happy that I'm wearing jeans and floral print shirt and not my PJ's, as he called them. But, him standing on my front porch will never feel normal to me.

"Emmett's not here," I tell Edward. "He's at soccer practice."

He shrugs, "I know. I thought that we could hang out."

 _Cute boy say what?_

 **A/N: We're now heading into the parts that have new chapters added to them.**

 **See you Tuesday!**


	6. Rollercoaster

6\. Rollercoaster

Come a little closer  
I'm sure, come a little closer

\- Rollercoaster, Bleachers

"What?" I dumbly ask. Did he really just say that he wants to hang out with me? Did I hear him correctly? He's here for me, not Emmett?

He fights the smirk that is trying to break free on his face, his hands in his pocket, rocking back on his heels. "Do you want to hang out with me?"

"Y… yes," I stammer, thinking that I was past this part with him, but obviously not. He really wants to hang out with me! _Eek!_

I let him into the house, trying not to bust out into my happy dance and squeal at the top of my lungs. Him seeing me jump around like a maniac on speed won't help my case, it will just have him second guessing my friendship.

We stand there awkwardly in the foyer, neither of us moving or breathing. Well, I'm not breathing. I have no idea how to entertain him. It's easy with someone like Quil or Jasper, even James, but not Edward. I don't know enough about him to know what he's into, other than the obvious. He likes playing the piano and video games, two things that he has in common with my brother. But I can't think of anything that _we_ have in common. Other than standing around like two idiots in my house.

"So," I stand there, chewing on my lip so hard that if I don't let up, I'll break skin. I don't know where I'm going with that when I start talking, the words hanging in the air uncomfortably between us.

"So," he smirks. I both love and hate when he does that. I also hate that he seems more comfortable with our present situation than I am.

"What do you want to do?" I finally get the words out, they tumble out in a jumble, my voice sounding hoarse like it's been rubbed with sandpaper. All the ease that I felt around him the other day evading me, much to my chagrin.

His chest shakes with silent laughter, his hands going into the pockets of his black hoodie. "What were you doing before I got here?"

 _What kind of response is that?_

"Um… j… just watching a movie," I point with my thumb to the living room where my mom is still on the couch, acting like she's still reading, but is really watching us instead.

 _Why is everyone so amused with me? It's starting to get annoying._

"What movie?" At some point he's going to be annoyed that it's like pulling hens teeth for me to talk to him. He can only stay amused for so long.

" _Scary Movie_. It was just on." For some reason, I don't want to tell him that I've seen it countless times, afraid that he'll think less of me for watching something that is so stupidly funny.

"I love that movie!"

I blanch at him. All my friends think that it's the stupidest thing that they've ever seen, and it is, but that's why I like it. "You do?" I can't believe that I found someone that seems to like that movie as much as I do.

"Yeah," he smiles widely at me, "Especially the part where Ghost face is smoking the joint and the expression on the mask keeps changing, classic!"

 _Okay, it's official. He's my soulmate._

I laugh at his overly enthusiastic reply, trying not to think about the thrill that goes through me over our very small common ground. Yeah, it's just a movie, but it's a start. A good one, even.

"Hello, Mrs. Swan." He greets my mother when we walk into the living room. He plops down on the couch, like he belongs there. Totally ignoring, or not seeing, the look of pure curiosity that she's giving me.

I shrug, letting her know that I had no idea that he was going to be coming over.

"Hello, Edward." She greets him just as kindly, taking her glasses off and putting them, as well as her book, on the coffee table.

"Edward and I are… going to hang out." I tell her, the words feeling weird on my tongue as I speak them. It's like my mouth has trouble forming the words.

"Then, I'll leave you to it." She stands from the couch, causing a surge of panic. She's leaving, which meant that Edward and I are going to be alone… for an uncertain amount of time.

"You don't have to leave…" she cuts me off.

"Don't be silly, Bella. I know how uncool it is to have your mom in the middle of a hangout session." She pats me on the head as she leaves, "Besides, I have some bookkeeping and things to do."

Too bad she doesn't understand that I don't want to be alone with him. I was beginning to think the other day was a fluke, and that I'm really not capable of carrying on a conversation with him after all.

Once she disappears up the stairs, I turn back to Edward who's looking at me expectantly from the couch. He looks completely relaxed with his arm draped over the back of the couch and legs stretched out in front of him. I envy him. He's better at this new friend thing than I am. That, and he's incredibly cute, almost distractingly so; and that leaves me flustered. I can do this. I can be his friend, just like I'm friends with Jasper and Quil. The only difference is I'm not attracted to the two of them, like I am the boy that's sitting on my couch, staring at me.

Then, another scary thought hits me: Where am I supposed to sit? Do I sit next to him, or in the recliner that Dad likes to watch Sunday football in? Or do I sit on the other end of the couch, as far from him as I can get? Or… I'm out of options.

Sensing my hesitation, he pats the cushion next to him, inviting me over. "Aren't you going to sit?" I'm glad that he's taken all the guess work out of this for me.

I clear my throat, "Yeah."

I sit next to him, making sure to put a respectable distance between my body and his, trying to make sure that no part of me is touching him. I'm rigid and uncomfortable, but I'm also freaking out… which seems to be the only thing that I'm good at these days. This isn't supposed to be this hard, is it? Everyone else can talk and sit next to a new friend without acting like a discombobulated freak, so why can't I?

"I don't bite," he whispers to me, chuckling.

I let out a strangled laugh that sounds more like a dying cat than anything else.

Over the course of the movie, I'm able to relax. Edward and I laugh, pointing out all the parts that we find particularly funny. I don't know how it happens, but over the course of the hour, we've gotten closer on the couch. My pinkie is now almost touching his, and my jean covered knee _is_ _touching_ his. I can feel the warmth of his skin sinking into mine. It feels weird and good and painful, all at the same time.

"What's that boyfriend of yours doing today?" he asks out of the blue as the credits rolled. I'd almost forgotten that he knew about that.

"He's off seeing his dad, like every weekend." I explain, crossing my right leg over my left so that it's no longer touching him.

"His parents are divorced?" he asks with pure curiosity.

"Not officially." I shake my head, my arms crossing over my chest. "James spends every weekend with him, though. His parents think it's important, at least that's what he told me." I finish with a shrug of my shoulder.

He nods in understanding of James's situation. I expect that he knows better than anyone. Other than James, the only other person that I know to have divorced parents is Mia. Her parents separated when she was seven, and she barely sees her dad. He lives several hours away, only seeing her every other weekend.

"Do you paint a lot or was the one that I saw a fluke?" he asks out of the clear blue. Clearly, he's carrying this conversation. And doing so with an effortlessness that I'll never be able to display.

I scowl at him, hoping that I look insulted. "I paint. Not as often as I'd like, but I'm working on something right now, actually."

He laughs at me, "You're very bad at being menacing."

I hit him on the shoulder, "Shut up."

"You're like a gazelle trying to scare a lion." He continues, laughing enough at his own jokes for the two of us.

I hit him in the shoulder again, "Shut up!" I grab one of the throw pillows off the couch, assaulting him with it. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

I'm able to get a few good blows in before he grabs my wrist, successfully stopping my attack. Our eyes lock, his hand still wrapped around mine, his smile sliding off his face as he looks me in the eye. Just as quickly as the moment arrives, it vanishes, like it never happened. He sits up, letting me go, my wrist burning in the wake.

"Could I see what you're working on?" he changes the subject, but the playful mood is gone and not coming back.

It takes a second for my brain to catch up with the sudden change, "It's in my room…" I trail off. While, my other guy friends have been in my room when all of us have hung out here, it's different with Edward. For one, we're alone. Well, my mom's here. And second, when the other's look at me, I don't feel like goo.

"Oh." He says it like he feels just as odd about the prospect of being in there as I do.

"I don't mind showing it to you, if you want to see it." I hope that I sound as nonchalant as I want to. I don't want him to know that I think that it's the biggest deal in the world to have him in my room, mostly unsupervised.

"Okay," he nods his head in agreement. For the first time since I met him, he looks… uncomfortable. And that makes him seem more human than he ever has been.

We both walk up the stairs, silently. I want to say something, ask him a question, but I can't come up with anything. I wrack my brain for something but come up empty. I want to break the tension, get the playfulness that we once had back. That's so much better than not being able to be within two feet of him.

"Bella?" Mom calls as soon as we ascend, much like I thought that she would. I know that she'll want to… talk to me.

"My room's there," I point to my slightly ajar door. "I'll just be a minute."

I walk into my parents' room to find her sitting at their desk, her laptop open to a spreadsheet. She's looking scrupulously at me, more than likely wondering what we're doing up here.

"Yeah?" I ask like I don't already know why she's called, leaning against their door.

"Whatcha doing?" she eyes my door that Edward's disappeared through.

"He wanted to see the painting that I'm working on." I shrug my shoulder, like it isn't a big deal that I invited a guy up to my room.

"Alone?"

"You don't have a problem with it when it's Jasper and Quil." I point out, even though I know it won't help my case. There's a huge difference between them and him, and we both know it.

"When it's them, you're in a group." She counters, with her signature 'mom' look.

"I have a boyfriend," I remind her, "and he knows that. We'll only be like five minutes. He just wants to see the painting that I'm working on."

She sighs, her eyes going back to her computer screen. "Fine, five minutes. And door open."

"Thank you," I go to join Edward in my room, finding him standing in front of the canvas, studying it like it's an ancient text. Seeing, him in here's weird. It's my sanctuary, where I come to escape when I need to think, and having him in my space, when I still barely know the guy, is… strange.

I clear my throat so that I won't startle him.

His head whips around to look at me, his hands once again in the pockets of his hoodie. "It's really good."

"Really?" I walk over to stand next to him, scrutinizing my own work. "I think that I could've done better with the cliffs, they look a little too flat or something to me." I point to the area that's supposed to be the jagged bottom of the stone but has somehow come out to look more like a cobblestone walkway to me.

"I don't think so," he counters. "Your talent is impressive."

"Says the one that composes his own music."

"I've been playing for so long that it's second nature to me. I can't imagine being able to do something like this."

"Then, we're both impressive in our own ways." I compromise, meeting his gaze. "Fair?"

The side of his mouth lifts, going into a full-blown crooked smile that takes my breath away. "Fair."

 _How could I ever think that I could ignore him?_

"We should probably go, before my mom comes and drags us out by our hair."

"After you." He gestures grandly to my door, making me laugh.

 **A/N: The next chapter (which is Halloween) I've pretty much completely re-written. I was never happy with how the last one came out, but I really like the new version.**

 **Anyway, see you next week.**


	7. Cool

**Sorry for not updating on Friday. The** **hard drive in the computer decided it didn't want to work. Thank God for OneDrive or I would have lost over a years worth of work. I'm currently using the fanfic app on my kindle to post this. This chapter might still have some rough parts but I don't have a real keyboard so it's going to stay the way it is for now.** **If need be I'll replace it with a more cleanly edited version in the future. I didn't want to leave you hanging any longer.**

 **Happy reading!**

7\. Cool

I was just trying to be cool

I was just trying to be like you

I'm a spark and you're a boom

What am I supposed to do?

\- Cool, Troye Sivan

"Other than painting, what are you into?" We're back on the couch in the living room, another movie on the TV that we aren't paying any mind.

"I cheer. But I guess you already knew that." I cringe slightly thinking about it.

"Oh, the sport that's not a sport." He teases with an addition of a crooked grin. I like making him do that; but what he says I find highly offensive.

"Ugh, you're one of _those_ people," I accuse, giving him a look of pure disgust. "And, for your information, it is a sport. You should have someone's feet slam into your face, and then come to me and say that it isn't hard work."

"You feel very passionately about this."

"Of course," I shoot back. "It's like if someone came to you and said that playing the piano wasn't music." I use an analogy that I know will help him understand.

"Okay, okay, I get it." He throws his hands up in surrender to my verbal attack. "I'll never make that mistake again."

I cross my arms over my chest, my brow raised, feigning anger despite the smile that I can feel coming. "Good."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." He quirks a brow at me, amusement twinkling in his green eyes.

And because I'm feeling brave: "Something tells me that I won't have to remind you."

He lets out a laugh, deep and full, his head thrown back, and it's one of the most beautiful things that I've ever seen. "You're right," his voice is breathy and choked with the sound of holding back the laughs that want to escape him.

"Well," I start after he calms himself down again. "I told you something that I was interested in, now you have to tell me something that you're interested in. And saying that you play piano doesn't count, I already know that." I tack on that last part because he seems like the type of person that would pull that kind of stunt. It's only fair if he tells me something about himself.

He sits there for a good amount of time, his thumb running along the seam of his lips as he thinks, "I have a secret obsession with whittling."

"Whittling?" I've never heard of said whittling before and have no idea what it is.

His cheeks start to get pink. He's blushing! Him, not me! "Whittling is when you carve things into soft wood… and stuff, like the old men do in movies when their sitting in their rocking chair with a pipe in their mouth, and it looks like they're shaving down a piece of wood with a knife. That's whittling."

"Whittling, come on, you expect me to believe that? What do you actually do?" I have a hard time not laughing at picturing him in overalls with a pipe in his mouth. The mental image is too amusing.

"Seriously, I whittle. It's something that my dad taught me."

"That's so… different. And not at all what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" He is suddenly very defensive, like I'd been minutes before.

I shrug, "I don't know. Paintball, or bowling, or… something. But, definitely not whittling."

"Okay, then Sherlock, what do you do for fun?"

"This," I wave around my living room. "only sometimes at one of my friend's houses. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them dropped by later. None of them call, they just show up at the door, unannounced."

"Will I ever get to meet them?" he asks genuinely, surprising me for the second time today. For some reason, I hadn't thought that he would want to meet my friends. But, after all, he is new and doesn't seem to know many people.

"Do you want to meet them?" I can hear the surprise in my voice.

"Yeah."

"Then, sure." I nod, trying to imagine him becoming part of our tightknit group, liking the image that my mind has come up with. I can see him, Emmett, Jasper, and Quil all arguing over which video game is better. He'll meld perfectly. "You've already met Rose. She's Emmett's girlfriend. I often worry about her because of it."

"Are all of you close?"

"Yeah. We've all been friends since elementary school for the most part. Except Jasper, he moved here from Georgia in sixth grade. We all get along, well, except Claire and Quil. They fight like two cats in a sack." I explain, hoping that I do it justice, but thinking that I failed miserably.

"They sound like good friends." His voice is wistful as he looks off into the distance.

"They are, the best." I study his face as he looks at the TV. "Have you heard from any of your friends in California?"

"I got a text from my friend Riley a few days ago, but nothing from anyone else." He sighs, looking back at me. "That's the thing about moving across the country, you say that you'll remain friends, but it never happens."

"I'm sorry." We all like to think that our relationships with the people that we care about will last through time and distance, never wanting to think that there will be a time when you don't talk.

"It's not a big deal." His mouth says one thing, but his eyes say another. He does care, a lot. He just doesn't want to admit that he's hurting or how much he thinks the whole thing sucks. His life's been uprooted, and his so-called friends can't do better than a text?

"Yes, it is!" I counter, my voice taking on the passionate edge it did when he said that cheerleading isn't a sport. "They're your friends, they should be doing something to show that they care."

"They aren't like your friends, Bella." I can't believe that he's trying to defend them. "Most of them are 'up and coming actors,'" he uses air quotes, "They were my friends because they knew that my parents were connected. My step-father helped run some of the most popular restaurants in Los Angeles, it wasn't exactly a secret that celebrities frequented them. Mom's an interior designer. She's decorated homes for some of the most famous actors and singers out there. I was a convenience. A step ladder." His voice takes on a bitter edge, practically spitting out the words.

"Then why did you stay friends with them?"

"It beat being by myself."

I don't know what to say, and this time it isn't because I'm flustered. It's because I have no idea what that feels like, to remain friends with people that are just using me to get to bigger and better things. For the first time, I realize that I take my friends for granted. We're all so close, friends because we want to be, and nothing else. I can't fathom how alienating that must have felt for Edward.

"I'm sorry." I finally speak after a long period of strained silence.

He shakes his head, not liking what I said. "You don't have to be sorry for me, Bella."

"I just… can't imagine." I trail off, looking at my hands in my lap.

"They weren't all bad. Riley was an actual friend."

 _An actual friend that only sent a text,_ I think bitterly.

"There's only one thing to do," I announce out of the clear blue, making him lift a brow at me. "make-up for all the crappy ones."

He just kind of smiles when I say this, getting all quiet and bashful, and it still strikes me as strange to see him not have anything to say. It's almost like I have gotten through his armor. He's no longer the suave, debonair guy that I met over a week ago, he's a just as awkward and disjointed as I am.

"My friends and I are getting together next Saturday, Halloween. Rose's parents are letting her, and her sister have a party, if you want to join us?" I ask hesitantly. Saying he wants to meet my friends isn't the same as doing it, and I'm nervous that he's going to say no. "They've been wanting to meet you, too." I add on like that will ensure him saying yes to coming.

He looks at me, slightly surprised. "Sure," he replied without an ounce of hesitation.

"Okay," I nod enthusiastically. "Here's my number," I grab a pen and a post it from the coffee table left out from me doing my homework the night before. "I'll text you the address and the time when I know it."

He takes the post it from me, tearing it in half. "Can I use the pen?"

I hand it to him, watching as he writes his number down on the sliver of paper that's left.

"Fair's, fair." He comments, giving me his number and my pen back.

I look down at the tiny piece of paper that holds so much weight. "Yeah, fair."

That night, I mention to the girls that I invited Edward to hang out with us on Halloween.

Alice: I'm finally going to meet him!?

I knew that Alice was going to be the one that freaked out the most. She's been anxiously awaiting the day that she would be able to meet him since Rose had.

Bella: Yes, you're going to meet him.

Claire: FINALLY! I was beginning the think that you were hogging him, Swan!

Bella: Ha ha

Rose: Can't wait. It's going to be so much fun.

The following week at school is the same as any other. Alice and I worked on our group project. I now know more about Rowan county than I will ever need to know. James and I hang out after school a few days, working on homework and watching movies. It's easy and comfortable with him, and I like him a lot; but I find myself looking forward to Saturday.

My friends and I hanging out on Halloween isn't something new, we do it every year. Usually, we watch way too many scary movies and end up forgetting to hand out the candy to trick-or-treaters, eating it ourselves instead. It's what we do. This is the first time we're going to a party.

I text Edward on Wednesday, letting him know that we're all going to be gathering at Rose's house at eight and that costumes are mandatory, per Kate's demand. I on the other hand am planning to wear my usual cop out costume of all black and a pair of cat ears.

"It's Halloween, you can't just put on a headband and call it a costume!" Alice scolds me one afternoon at school. Of course, she would feel strongly about this, every day is a reason to dress up for her. Today, she's wearing a poodle-type skirt she made, paired with a white boat-neck style shirt, and saddle shoes. She looks like she stepped right out of the 1950s. I'd be surprised if she hasn't been planning her costume for months.

I sigh heavily, closing my locker. "You know me, I don't dress up." When I was little, I used to love dressing up as princesses on Halloween and going out begging for candy. But, since I'd gotten older, the more the appeal of it all faded. I wasn't six anymore.

"Claire," Alice exclaims as our friend comes walking over, her phone glued to her hand. "Have you heard that our dear friend Bella is planning on being a cat for Halloween?" Alice throws her arm Claire's shoulders.

"Aw, come on!" Claire _groans_ like I do when my parents ask me to take the trash out. "That's not a costume! Besides, Mr. McHottie is going to be there. He sees you in black all the time!"

"Kate said that costumes were mandatory, not that they had to be good." I defend myself, even though I know that it won't do any good. It's two against one. Now I'm wishing that Rose's mom hadn't already picked her up for dance practice, if she hadn't, I would have at least one person on my side. Maybe.

"Oh," Alice's eyes light up, and her excitement scares me. "I have something you can wear, we're the same size." She looks me up and down with a studious expression, and I know she's picturing me in whatever creation she's come up with for me to wear.

Alice dressing me up, scares me. Her style is a lot more out there than the rest of us, and I'm nervous that she's going to try to get me in something outlandish.

"It's not crazy is it?" I eye her skeptically. Whatever it is, I'm sure is going to be a far cry from my typical black t-shirt and jeans.

"Just trust me." Alice ruffles my hair, a huge smile on her face. She loves dressing people up, like they're her own personal Barbie dolls. "It's Halloween, it's supposed to be fun!"

As the two of them walk away, I fix my mussed hair, wondering what I've gotten myself into.

Saturday evening, all the girls congregate at Rose's house early to get ready. Kate said that she'd do our hair and make-up for the party, like she used to. Rose lets it slip that Kate and her boyfriend were off, again, rolling her eyes as she says it.

"They'll be back together in, like, a week." Rose's already in the black dress for her witch's costume and her makeup is done. The dark eyes and black lipstick look bizarre on her; I'm so used to seeing her in soft colors.

Alice and Claire come clambering into Rose's room. They're already wearing their costumes. Claire's a genie and Alice's Renaissance princess. If anyone's going to go all out, it's going to be Alice. Alice excitedly rambles on about how perfect the costume is she brought for me, while taking it out of the garment bag she put it in. She's holding up a flapper style dress that's gold and sparkly. It's beautiful and over the top and so not something that I would have chosen for myself. But, I also kind of love it.

"How do you have this just sitting in your closet?" This is Alice we're talking about, I shouldn't be as surprised as I am.

"I made it in fashion club last year," she's pushing me toward the bathroom, so I can change into the dress, shoving it in my hands. "Don't forget the headband." She thrusts a gold headband with a feather at me before shutting the door.

I have a love, hate relationship with what she gave me. I love the way it looks, but I'm uncomfortable because it's so not me.

"Wow, Bells, I didn't expect you to wear something so flashy." Kate walks in wearing a tight, low cut red dress. The type of dress, that if I tried to wear, it would cause my dad to have a heart attack and lock me in a tower. The devil horns on her head even light up.

She's just as I remember her. Tall, with the same eyes and hair as her sister. They're been a few people over the years that thought they were twins, they looked so much alike.

"Me neither."

"Come on," she puts her hand on my shoulder, leading me to the vanity. "let's finish getting you ready.

Rose and Alice are the only ones ready, so when the doorbell rings, they're the ones that head down to answer it.

"Mr. McHottie is going to die when he sees you!" Claire teases from her position on Rose's bed. She's lying on her stomach flipping through an old _Seventeen_.

Kate pauses, "Mr. McHottie?"

I send a glare at Claire for letting her nickname for Edward slip. It doesn't bother me when it's just the four of us, but there's something about my friend's older, cooler sister hearing it that makes me want to die of embarrassment. She must think that we're so juvenile.

"Wow, you're blushing! I have to know who this guy is." Kate looks back at Claire to elaborate on Mr. McHottie's identity. Yet another person is going to be privy to the obsession that I have with the boy.

"His name's Edward. He's the son of her parent's business partner. Bella invited him tonight." Claire replies smugly. Normally, her teasing me about Edward doesn't bother me, but this is one time that I wish she'd shut up.

"Is his last name Cullen?" Kate's looking at me now with inquisitive eyes.

"Wait, you know Edward?" I knew that they went to the same school, but they're a year apart. I didn't realized that they'd have a connection.

"Yeah, we have the same gym and creative writing classes. We're actually working on a story together, right now." She goes back to applying blush to my cheeks. "He's quite the cutey. Now, I know why he said he had plans when I invited him."

My heart lurches when she says this. Knowing that he turned down a high school party invitation, to hang out with me and my friends instead makes me feel all warm inside.

"He takes creative writing?" My interest is piqued like the stalker I am. I want to know any and everything I can about him.

Kate opens up a tube of lipstick, "Yeah, but I think it was more because all the other electives were full. He says words aren't really his forte. Open," she motions for me to open my mouth, so she can apply the lipstick.

"How did you two become partners?" I ask once she's done with the lipstick, rubbing my lips together.

She smirks slightly at me, seeing right through my inquiry. "We'd talked a little, having two classes together will do that, especially when you sit next to each. He was also trying to avoid getting partnered with another girl that had been mercilessly flirting with him. I also have an A in the class." Edward and Kate know each other. They have classes together. She probably knows things about him that I don't, and I fight the urge to pump her for information.

A few minutes later, Kate announces that she's done with me, and turns me so I can see the masterpiece that she's created. With the gold eyeshadow, winged liner, and bright red lip that she's put on me, I almost don't recognize myself. She does Claire's makeup next and braids her hair.

As Claire and I go down the stairs to meet up with Rose and Alice, nervous excitement over takes me. I'm nervous for him to meet my friends. I want him to like them, and for them to like him. I know the girls will like him, because I do. But the guys might be harder to get to warm up.

When Claire and I descend the stairs, I find Rose setting out the food and go over to help her.

"Did you tell James that Edward's coming?" Rose asks as we set out bowls of popcorn and other snacks, as well as a bucket of candy. Kate's setting out the drinks and the ice.

"Yeah, I did." He hadn't been exactly happy about it, especially since he isn't going to be here, but I assured him that he has nothing to worry about. Edward and I are friends, our parents worked together, of course we're going to see each other.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing really," I take a Kit Kat out of the candy bucket, unwrapping it and taking a bite. "he said 'okay,' but I could tell that he wasn't exactly happy about it. He thinks that there is something to worry about." I chew the chocolate slowly, feeling it melt on my tongue. It's a nice distraction from the conversation.

"Because you and Edward are just friends?" Rose gives me a 'give me a break' look.

I ball up the wrapper, throwing it at her. "Yes, we're just friends. We've only known each other for like… two weeks."

"It's just," she takes her own piece of candy from the bucket, a packet of Skittles. "he's telling you things that he's not telling Emmett. You two have spent a lot of time together, having deep conversations. I don't know," she shrugs, popping a red Skittle into her mouth. "it just seems like there is something that you two seem to have."

"We're getting to know each other, that's all it is." I put the last bit of my Kit Kat into my mouth, watching as she dumps the remaining Skittles into her mouth. "You're crazy if you think it's anything else."

"Ah!" Emmett's hands land hard on my shoulders, causing me to jump. He and Quil arrived a few minutes ago.

I roll my eyes. He is dressed as Freddy Krueger; the only thing is he isn't all that scary. He looks more like a librarian than a villain.

I give him a withered look, "Very scary." My voice laced with sarcasm.

"Come on, it was a little scary!" he waves his makeshift blade hand at me that he made of cardboard and aluminum foil.

I shove his hand out of my face, "No, not really. Cut it out."

"Already fighting?" Claire asks, amused from the snack table, getting herself a cup of apple cider.

"When are they not fighting?" Rose jokes, sharing a look with Claire.

"Thanks, Rose." I gripe, giving Emmett one last shove.

Jasper arrives as Jason from Friday the Thirteenth, which causes he and my brother to get into a heated discussion about which franchise is better.

Quil stays out of it, sitting on the couch in Rose's living room, working away in his notebook, his pen flying furiously across the paper. He came dressed as Ash from Pokémon. This is just one of many Halloween's he's dressed as the character. He's still obsessed with the anime, watching it most afternoons when he got home from school. I think it's what inspired him to start writing his own comics.

The other guests start to arrive, most of whom go to school with Kate. There are some familiar faces, like a couple of girls that Rose and I cheer with, and I go say hi to them, clutching a cup of apple cider in my hands so that I look busy, important.

Parties aren't my thing. I don't like crowds when they can swallow me whole. It makes me even more uncomfortable now that I've gotten separated from my friends. Occasionally, I see Claire around, taking pictures with the camera her parents gave her for her birthday. So, instead I stand against the wall, watching my peers dancing and having a good time in the too loud living room. I catch glimpses of Rose and my brother dancing, or Kate talking to some of her high school friends. I also can't help the way my eyes keep going to the front door.

It's almost nine, and he's not here yet. People are still coming into the house; the time was lenient. But I can't help the fact that I start to fear that he's not coming.

Quil and I pass each other as I make my way back into the dining room to the snack table. He gives my shoulder a slight squeeze. He knows how I feel. He's not a partier either.

I'm just getting to the table when the front door opens, and in walks Edward. Immediately, I try to act busy and like I haven't been watching the door waiting for him to arrive.

I take my cup and fill it with more apple cider, even though I don't really want any. I just need something to do. I'm battling inside over whether I should go say hi or wait for him to notice me, when he comes and stands beside me at the table, making the decision for me.

He's wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt that reads: What do you mean this isn't a costume?

"Hey." I don't even try to fight the grin that spread across my face at the sight of him. Relief rushes through me. He came.

"Hey," he walks inside, observing my outfit, biting his lip like he's concentrating really hard. "I like it," he waves his hand over me, and I feel the heat start to rise in my cheeks.

 _Relax, he said he liked your outfit, not you. Keep it together!_

"Nice shirt." I comment, my hands shaking. My reaction feels completely irrational. We hung out at my house alone, and I wasn't this nervous. So, why now?

He rocks back on his heels, "Sorry I'm late." His voice is guilt-ridden. It's obvious he's nervous.

Which makes me melt.

"You're not late," there's a beat of silence before I say: "I'm glad you came."

His eyes light up, "Of course. I said I would."

"The others are around here somewhere," I announce to get my brain on something else, starting to head toward the living room. "You know Kate?" I phrase it as question.

Edward's looking at me like he's confused. Obviously, he's wondering how I know someone he goes to school with.

"She's Rose's sister. She mentioned that you're in her Creative Writing class."

He's blushing again. "Yeah, I'm not that good. She's done most of the work. I'm the freeloader."

"So, there is something that you're not good at." I tease, bumping his shoulder with mine. It still feels weird touching him.

He smirks, shaking his head at me.

We find the rest of the group on the couches in Rose's den. They're all taking a breather. Quil once again has his notebook in his lap. I clear my throat to get their attention.

"Guys, this is Edward," I announce to the group, all their eyes on the new person that just walked into their lives. "That's Jasper, Claire, Quil, Alice, and you already know Emmett and Rose." I go around the circle introducing them to all my friends, who have yet to say anything.

The way that Alice is looking at Edward makes me think that I'm going to have to fetch her a drool bucket. I find myself wondering if that's how I looked at him the first time I saw him, and I have a new wave of mortification hit me. I kept it cooler than that, right?

"Hey, man!" Quil comes over to Edward, smacking him on the back. His hands covered in black ink from working in his notebook. "It's nice to meet you finally! We've heard a lot about you."

Edward looks at me, smiling slightly at me. I want to die.

The other's come up to him and introduce themselves, Alice's introduction taking a little longer than I like, her hand clasping Edward's for far longer than necessary when she shakes his hand that I think that she's going to take it with her.

 _Oh my God_ , she mouths to me when she finally lets him go. "You have good taste." She whispers to me as she passes, giving me a wink. I roll my eyes.

The girls are able to talk me into dancing. Cobra Starship is blasting from the stereo, not my type of music, but it's catchy as heck. The guys are off in the corner, looking like they're in a deep discussion. Most likely about video games or whatever else teenage boys are into. The night is fun and even though I'm tired, when Rose asks our group if we want to stay and watch a movie, I say yes anyway.

It's close to midnight, but my parents didn't set a curfew for me and Emmett, just said to call when we're ready to be picked up. They go to a party of their own every year, so they're going to be out late tonight, too.

Eventually, when everything settles down, we settle in to watch _Jeepers Creepers_ in Rose's family's den. Kate decides to call it a night, heading up the stairs. I find myself sitting next to Alice on a very crowded couch. Claire sits next to her, Edward on the other side. Jasper and Quil sit on the floor, a of the bowl of popcorn between them. Emmett and Rose are cuddled up on a loveseat.

Once the lights are turned off and the movie starts to play, I have a hard time concentrating. The only thing that I can focus on was the fact that _he_ is in the same room. So close, but so far away. I'm acting like such a teenage girl with a crush. And I love and hate it at the same time.

My eyes drift to where he sits at the other end of the couch next to Claire. I can't help it, I have to look at him. My eyes are glued to him admiring the way the light coming off the TV hit his cheek bones in the darkness of the room. My gaze stays a little too long, because he looks over, catching me staring. My eyes shoot back to the movie, shoveling a handful of popcorn in my mouth, trying to act like I haven't been caught and that my cheeks aren't on fire.

 _I really am a stalker. I think I need professional help._

"Where are you going?" Alice grabs my arm as I start to stand.

"Get another soda." I grab my practically full can off the coffee table, taking it with me into the kitchen where I lean against the counter.

"What's up?" Alice's voice startles, and I clutch my chest over my racing heart.

"I told you," I drop my hand back to my side, "I'm getting another soda."

"We both know you didn't come in here for another soda." She goes and picks up the can that I've brought in with me. "You've barely had any of this one." She sits the can back on the counter. "It's about Edward, isn't it?"

"He's just… there and he caught me staring at him like a creeper." I cross my arms over my chest. "Why can't I act like a normal human?"

"Because you like him." Alice hoists herself onto the counter.

"But I shouldn't like him." I'm careful not to say that I don't want to like him, because that would be a lie. The way my heart starts to race, and my palm sweat when he's around is exhilarating. But I shouldn't be feeling this way. It's way too soon. And I have a boyfriend.

"Why not?" Alice takes a piece of candy from the bucket that someone brought into the kitchen. "And it better not be because of James. You can't help who you like. Just because you like Edward doesn't mean that you want to date him. Sometimes crushing on someone is better than the reality."

I look at her like she has lobsters crawling out of her ears. She's able to put words to things that I've been feeling. "You sound like a self-help book."

"You know what I mean." She chucks her wrapper at me, making me wrinkle my nose at her.

I knew exactly what she meant.

One-sided love is exhilarating.

Acting on it is scary.

 **A/N: I completely rewrote the majority of this chapter, and like it much better than the original.**

 **See you Friday.**


	8. Tongue Tied

8\. Tongue Tied

Don't leave me tongue tied

Don't wave no goodbye

Don't leave me tongue tied

-Tongue Tied, Grouplove

"I wish my mom would've let me go to the midnight premiere, that would've been so cool." Alice sighs. Claire, Alice, and I have been counting down the days until New Moon hits theaters. It's less than eight hours away until we're sitting in the theater, and we're making plans for which theater to meet at. Well, they're making plans, I'm too busy grinning over the 'world history is such a snore' text from Edward that came in earlier this morning.

Texting Edward has become an everyday thing since the night of the party. I can still remember how fast my heart was beating when I saw his names flashing on the screen. Ever since, we've spent hours at night texting until late, with me hiding under the covers so my parents don't know. Sometimes we sneak texts between classes. I only get caught once by my math teacher, who keeps my phone the rest of the day and lectures me about the evils of technology for several minutes when I go to pick it up.

"What are you smiling at?" Rose leans closer to me, so she can peak at my phone, but I hide it protectively against my chest.

"Nothing." I put my phone back in my backpack for safe keeping. It feels like an invasion of privacy to share any of the texts we'd been sharing. I've only mentioned in passing that we've been talking. I like having something that is just ours, that no one else knows about. "What are we talking about?" I take a sip of my water, all three sets of eyes on me. I've been caught. Crap.

"Why are you blushing?" Claire leans forward, her elbows resting on the table so she can get as close to me as the width of the table will allow. "Does it have to do with Mr. McHottie?"

I can feel my face getting hotter than before, which only makes Claire more excited.

God! Why does my face have to give me away?

"I knew it!" she cries. "Spill, Swan!"

"We've been talking. I told you that." I try to act casual, flattening the brown bag that my lunch was previously in.

"Yeah, you said that. But we need details. Like how often." Claire pushes, playfully.

"And what you talk about." Alice grins.

I sit there for a minute thinking about what I want to tell them. I know that they'll understand if I tell them I don't want to talk about it. But, I can give them a little something, without giving them all of it.

"We text... everyday... about everything." I shrug, giving them the amount of information, I felt comfortable with.

They all squeal, gushing and talking animatedly about this new development. I try to be engaged with them, but my mind keeps wandering back to the text sitting in my phone.

James ends up coming over to my house after school, so we can spend some time together before he spends the rest of the weekend with his dad.

"It sounds like you guys had fun on Halloween." James comments after I finish telling him all the details that I haven't before. Like how Claire ended up spending the night at my house and Emmett freezing our bras.

We're watching TV and talking about things that happened during the week at school, even though we already know because we both lived it. It's quiet and easy.

"We did," I look back at the TV. We're hanging out for the first time in a while, and it feels nice, like it used to. But also, different, but I'm unable to put my finger on why, except for one thing.

It's been a few weeks since Halloween, which means that it's been a few weeks since I saw Edward. Not that I'm counting… well, maybe a little. I may have been Facebook stalking him every night… stop thinking about this when you're with your boyfriend!

Don't forget the daily text conversations.

Yep, there went the pang of guilt.

"It would have been better if you had been there." I add offhanded, trying to stamp down the guilt, because I hadn't thought about him at all that night. Not during the movie. Not during the argument, the guys all got into over which franchise was better: Friday the Thirteenth or Nightmare on Elm Street. The night had gone better than I had thought, Edward had fit in great, especially when he sided with Jasper about Nightmare on Elm Street being the better franchise.

His arm comes around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. "I wish that I could've been there. It would have been a lot more fun than sitting on my Dad's couch, watching bad daytime TV, almost choking on the cloud of permanent cigarette smoke."

James mentioning his dad, makes me think of Edward and the fact that he's across the country from his. And thinking about him makes me mentally slap myself, because there didn't seem to be a time when I'm not thinking about him. Which confuses me. Because it's also the same way I think about James.

I open my mouth to ask him something about soccer just, so I can change the subject, but the doorbell is ringing before I can get any of the words I am going to say out. Emmett yells as he bounds down the stairs that he's going to get it. He's wearing navy blue basketball shorts and a yellow long sleeve shirt, his basketball under his arm.

"Hey, come in. I just have to grab my shoes from the kitchen." Emmett says to the person at the door.

I give a brief look to see who it is, but quickly sit up and do a double take, my heart pounding with anxiety and panic at Edward standing in our foyer in black Adidas pants and a red Nike sweatshirt. I am hyper aware that James's eyes are burning into my back as he stares at this new guy.

Oh, nope, you shouldn't have sat up that fast. Calm down. You're just three people… sitting in a room… awkwardly staring at each other… no big deal…

"Hi," Edward murmurs, rocking back on his heels, as Emmett, who's never fazed by anything, goes toward the kitchen to get his sneakers. His eyes are going between James and me. It's quiet and awkward as his greeting hangs in the air.

"Hi," I squeak out. "Edward, this is James… my boyfriend." I look back at James who's staring at Edward with a blank expression, not giving away how he's feeling at all. "James, Edward." I finish with a cringe-worthy clearing of my throat.

Gulp!

They're both just staring at each other, not saying anything, and it's uncomfortably awkward. I bite my lip, shifting uncomfortably in my seat next to James, blurting out the only thing that I can think to say, anything that will end this torture! "Cold… out." _Seriously, that's the best that you could come up with? You just stated the obvious. Of course, they know it's cold out!_ "Wet." _Wet?! WET?! It's not even raining anymore! How can it be wet? Oh, watch out for that dime sized puddle in the driveway! Obviously, you're not helping the situation. Maybe you should learn to… I don't know… SHUT UP!_

Edward snorts amused by my word vomit. James on the other hand, is still sitting there, his hand finding mine, and squeezing. I look from his hand in mine to his face. It isn't that hand holding is new for us, we do it all the time, but this time it feels different. Almost, like he's claiming me and it kind of makes me feel a little weird.

"Oh, you're back!" I can't keep the relief out of my voice when Emmett comes back into the room. The torture, the likes of which I can only equate to sticking pens in my eyes, can finally come to an end.

Emmett looks at me like I have lobsters crawling out of my ears, because I'm never excited when he comes into a room. "What's up with you?"

I shake my head, while waving my hand at him. "Nothing's up… I just… going to stop talking now." Finally! I settle back into the cushions, cursing the fact that I can't stop talking when I get nervous.

"So, that's Edward, huh?" James asks after I am seated next to him again. He rubs his hands against his jeans, nervously.

"Yeah," I say casually, trying to feign that I didn't think that it's a big deal that they met, here, in my house today. I honestly was hoping that I was going to have time to prepare for their meeting, like being able to run away with a new name and identity, but I guess it's better this way. I didn't have time to over think it. And creating a new identity is too hard anyway.

"I guess he's not hideous." He has this weird look on his face when he says this, like he's constipated. Seeing his expression, reminds that he was jealous when Edward friended me on Facebook, and that he might be a little insecure that I've been spending time with another guy that's not him. Even if we have never been alone, except for those two times, one of which I try not to think about.

I shrug one shoulder, trying to act like I don't care what Edward looks like, even though I do. A lot. "Yeah, he's not that bad."

I know James well enough to know that he doesn't believe me, but he doesn't say anything, so we go back to the watching TV, his arm once again around me; like nothing's happened. Their meeting wasn't as painful as I had built it up in my head. Granted most of what I had imagined was James clobbering Edward with a sledgehammer, which is completely realistic.

"It's just you and the other girls tonight?" James asks, his eyes going to the front door that my brother and Edward have just gone through.

"Yeah, I already told you that." Was that a hint of annoyance in my voice? Hadn't we already had this conversation? I'm really starting to not like this side of him. It's starting to feel like he doesn't trust me or something. I may not be the best girlfriend, but I would never cheat on him, and I don't like what his tone is implying.

"So, Emmett and…Edward," he can't keep the constipated look from reappearing on his face, like the words that he's just spoken were vile. "won't be there?"

I let out a huff, unable to hide my frustration. "No," Yep, definitely a touch of annoyance there, "my brother and the guys are getting together and doing something else. I highly doubt that they'll want to get within a hundred feet of any theater playing New Moon."

"Good."

My head whips around when that word falls out of his mouth. Yeah, I did not like this side of him. "Excuse me?!" my voice takes on a high-pitched edge.

"That's not what I…" he stammers, obviously taken aback by my response and tone.

"I think that I know what you meant. Whatever you think is happening, is not happening." I shake my head, my arms crossed over my chest. "We're all friends. There's nothing to be jealous of."

"I'm not jealous."

"Right," I snip under my breath. "of course, you're not."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he turns his body to face me on the couch, scowling at me.

We're staring each other down when a car honks out front, breaking the trance.

"That would be your mom." I stand from the couch, going to open the door so he can leave. He walks more quickly over to the door, disappearing through it without a glance in my direction. I slam the door behind him, letting out a growl of frustration.

Mom appears in the doorway of the living room, a hand covering her chest because I have obviously startled her. "What is going on?"

I press my back against the door, shaking my head. "Nothing. We just got into a fight."

She sighs, a look of sympathy on her face as she comes over to me, taking me into a hug. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know it hurts."

My arms go around her, feeling her kiss my hair. Except, I'm not hurt; I'm just angry and a little fed up.

Later, Mom drops me off at the movie theater to meet up with my friends. Rose, Claire, and Alice are already here, bundled up from their place in the line at the ticket window.

"I'm so excited!" Alice squeals, clapping her hands while we stand in line to get tickets for the eight o'clock showing of New Moon. We are at the Carmike Cinema in Park Place Shopping Center. It isn't overly busy, there are only a few people in front of us and Alice is bouncing off the walls.

Rose laughs, shaking her head, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets. The three of us coerced her into coming tonight, what with her not being a big Twilight fan, and she has spent most of the time in line laughing and poking fun at us. She really is being a good sport about it all.

"Perk up, buttercup," Claire teases, bumping her elbow with mine. "You look like you just had some sour milk or something. You've been super quiet. For the past week you haven't been able to shut up about this movie, and you've barely said anything."

I shrugs, not wanting to talk about it, because I am over the whole James-Edward paradigm. "Nothing."

They all three just look at me with a lifted brow, clearly not taking my crappy 'nothing' comment. Let's face it, I am horrible at playing it cool.

I throw my head back, growling up to the sky. "Fine! James and I got into a fight… about Edward… because Edward showed up to my house when James was there." The anger that has dissipated since I left the house rears its ugly head again, and I want to take that imaginary sledgehammer to his face.

"Oh," Claire says, shuffling on her feet at the turn the conversation took.

The three of them are quiet, either not looking at me at all, or giving me looks of sympathy. And I hate it.

"See," I sigh, shoving my hands in my coat pockets. "this is why I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to ruin our night." I bite my lip, "Besides, I'm just over the whole thing." I'm more than over James's jealousy, this afternoon only solidified it for me. I want to be able to hang out with my friends without fear that he wouldn't like it. Not to mention, I'm not happy that he said 'good' when I told him that Edward wasn't going to be here tonight. I'm just over it. And I'm over him. "I'm thinking of breaking up with him."

There's a beat of silence before Rose says: "Oh, thank God!"

"What?!" I ask, looking at my friends who are now laughing in relief.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Alice collects herself, clearing her throat. "None of us like him."

"We all dealt with him because you liked him." Claire puts her arm around me, rubbing my arm. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that it didn't end well."

"Yeah," I rest my head against hers. "me, too."

"Next!" calls the guy in the ticket booth, causing our mushy-gushy moment to come to a quick end.

Two and a half hours and three large buckets of popcorn later, we are walking out of the theater. Rose surprises us all by crying when the main characters reunited at the end. Mom is parked out front, playing on her phone while she waits for me.

"How was it?" she asks when I climb in the front seat.

"It was good." I reply, when I buckle my seat belt. Once we'd gotten to our seats and the movie started to play, I was able to forget about everything else and enjoy what I had been waiting, with bated breath, for a year. I also concluded that when James gets back from his dad's house, I'm going to break up with him. I, surprisingly, don't feel devastated, but relieved. My feelings for James just aren't what they used be, and maybe I should have done it sooner.

The quick ride home is quiet, the only sound in the car was the windshield wipers as it starts to rain. By the time that we pull in the driveway, it's a down pour, and I sprint to the front door. As soon as I'm inside, I take my coat off and hung it on the coat rack, only to be struck by a familiar sight. Edward's red Nike sweatshirt.

"Edward's still here?" I ask, my heartbeat immediately picking up. He's in my house at ten-thirty on a Friday night. For some reason, this feels different than him being here during the day, or Halloween night.

"Yeah, he and Emmett have been upstairs playing something for hours. Occasionally, we'd hear them yelling. It's been a rather amusing evening."

"Oh," I look toward the stairs. He is up there. Near my room. No big deal. I just have to walk by my brother's room to get to mine. Nothing scary about that. Except the rapid beating of my heart told my brain, that is trying to be logical, that it is. "Well, I'm going to call it a night."

"Okay." Mom replies knowingly, turning to join Dad in the living room.

"I died again!" I hear Edward cry as I climb the stairs.

"Ha!" Emmett's boisterous laugh follows. "You're so bad at this game."

"Or someone is cheating!" Edward yells back, as I got to the top, throwing his controller on the ground. "Come on! Seriously!"

Emmett's only response is to snicker at his obvious victory.

I shake my head at their antics, further unable to understand teenage boys and how seriously they take video games, like they are life or death.

"I gotta go anyway," Edward stands, stretching from Emmett's bed, his shirt lifting some to reveal some of his abdomen that I have drooled over for countless hours on Facebook, and I can't help but look. Seeing it in person is ten times better than seeing it through a computer screen.

"Hey," Emmett calls, bringing me out of my drool fest. "you're home. How was your girly movie?"

"Good. Rose cried." I avoid Edward's gaze, my cheeks red from the guilt of what I had just been doing. "Well, goodnight." I hurriedly rushed to my room and throw myself face down on my bed, berating myself for ogling him. I mean seriously, would I want him to ogle me? But I don't mind that thought, I actually kind of like it, and I find myself blushing for another reason.

"Hey." Edward's voice startles me.

"Oh, jeez!" I cry, rolling over and sitting on up on my bed. "Hey." I smile, trying to pretend that I wasn't just having impure thoughts about him. But the sight of him standing in my doorway in a thin white t-shirt and his Adidas pants isn't helping my line of thoughts. Not to mention, his hair is in an even more tousled state from pulling at it, and it makes him look even more insanely attractive. "What's up?" Calm down, calm down. You sound like a screeching owl. It's not like he can read your mind. He has no idea what you were just thinking about.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble with you and your boyfriend."

I look at him stunned, totally not expecting him to say that. "It wasn't you," Even though you were what we're fighting about because my boyfriend thinks I'm cheating on him with you. "It hasn't been working out for a while."

"Oh," he replies simply, looking everywhere but at me.

"Is there something else?" I implore when he continues to stand there.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house… tomorrow?" Is that a blush I see? Oh my gosh, he's so cute when he blushes!

"Really? Won't I be intruding on your guy time with Emmett?" My brain can't comprehend that he has just asked me to come to his house.

"He won't be there. He has plans with Rose."

Oh. Oh! We would be hanging out… alone. At his house. Not mine. Wow.

"Okay," I try to remain calm on the outside while I do my internal happy dance. I AM GOING TO HIS HOUSE!

He smiles that crooked smile at me that sends my insides to goo. "Cool. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya!"

When he disappears down the stairs, I can't keep the squeal that escapes inside any longer. This is new, and I'm not hating it.


	9. Swingin' Party

**Okay, I am officially the worst poster ever. I didn't mean to not post last night. I got in late from work and immediately crashed. Better late than never, though?**

9 Swingin' Party

If bein' wrong's a crime, I'm serving forever  
If bein' strong's your kind, then I need help here with this feather  
If bein' afraid is a crime, we hang side by side  
At the swingin' party down the line  
At the swingin' party down the line

\- Swingin' Party, Kindness

Edward invited me over. I'm going to his house.

This shouldn't be a big deal, so why is my heart pounding and my palms sweating? Why am I feeling the need to chew on my hair?

Oh, right, because I'm irrational.

I'm currently standing in front of my closet, looking at all the varying colors of white and black. I don't wear much color, the one floral shirt I have is a fluke. Claire likes to tease me and say it's because I'm channeling my inner tortured artist. Right now, I'm wishing I had something nicer. Like a dress. Or a skirt.

 _You're putting too much pressure on yourself, Bella! He's your friend and his parents have already met you._

But the memory of the day that they met me doesn't bring me comfort. In my opinion, it had been a disaster! First, I run into their son, literally (granted, they didn't know that. But, still.) then, I act as if I can't speak. They must think that I'm a lunatic… or at the very least, stupid. I don't know why it's so important to me that his parents like me, but it is. Which is why I'm scrutinizing my clothing choices like I'm going to be on America's Next Top Model.

Coming to the drawn-out conclusion that this is stupid, idiotic, and several other synonyms, I settle on a pair of jeans and a white sweater. Something that doesn't make me look like I'm trying to be emo or punk-like. I finish the ensemble off with a pair of boots. It's as good as it's going to get.

Mom and dad are both home today, they're sitting on the couch as I come down the stairs, watching some special on TV about the origins of Thanksgiving. Mom's legs are across Dad's lap and he's rubbing her feet.

"I'm off," I call to them, putting my coat on.

"Have fun!" Mom absent-mindedly replies, waving her hand. She barely looks up. For a second, her lack of concern irks me. It's like she's not even worried about somebody snatching me off the street. Then, I remember it's Cary, where nothing ever happens.

I walk out of the house, waving to Mr. Clyde as I walk by where he's racking leaves in his yard. I make my way in the direction of the Cullen's house, listening to the crunching of the leaves under my feet. It's almost mid-November and the fall decorations are out in full force. There are several houses that have stacks of hay and scarecrows. It's all very picturesque, like the homes that they sit in front of. It's peaceful and boring and perfect. Like the golf course this neighborhood surrounds.

I know the neighborhood well from the hours of riding my bike and running from one friend's house to the other, so I find the house easily. It's a street over from mine, the houses much larger here than on my block. Their house is as big as I anticipated. They very clearly have money, the house itself is monstrous. It's stone and glass, one of the many homes that looks like a castle. One of the Cullen's Mercedes sits in the driveway and I take a deep breath before I walk to the door.

"Hello, Bella!" Esme greets me warmly when she answers. She looks like a model in her straight leg jeans and sky-blue top, her caramel colored hair in a ponytail that cascades down her back. She gives off a casual confidence that I wish that I had. "Come in, come in. Edward's in the living room."

I take in the cathedral style ceiling of the entryway and the grand looking winding staircase in front of me. There are still some boxes lying around the home, clearly, they haven't finished unpacking, but not even that detracts from the beauty of the home.

Esme's talent as an interior designer bleeds into her own home. There's a mixture of contemporary and modern furniture and artwork that somehow looks flawlessly put together. Like it belongs. My house could fit in here three, or more, times.

I follow her down a short hall, almost running into a box on my way. My chance at a second first impression would be ruined if I fell and knocked over the table full of family photos.

We turn a corner and are in the living room, a huge sectional sits in the center in front a flat screen TV. Edward is sitting on the couch, playing on his phone. He's wearing lounge pants and a Metallica t-shirt, completely relaxed. Seeing what he's wearing makes me feel even more ridiculous about how much over thoughtfulness I put into my clothing choices before I left the house.

"I thought that I told you to put on some real clothes?" Esme stands in front of her son with her hands on her hips.

Edward opens his mouth, like he's going to say something snarky, then he sees me and stops. "Hey," he stands from the couch, his arms crossing his chest like he's embarrassed that I have seen him in his pajamas. "Sorry… I…" he trails off, looking down at what he has on.

"Nice PJ's." I comment, fighting the smile that wants to break free. Suddenly, I don't feel so bad about him seeing me in mine. Although, his are less Hello Kitty, and there for, not nearly as embarrassing.

He and I share a knowing smile.

"I told you to change," his mom lightly hits him on the back of the head. "Maybe next time, you will listen to me." With one last ruffle of his hair, she's gone, leaving us alone in the room.

"If this was your way of trying to make me feel less bad about that time you saw me in mine, it kind of worked." I snicker. Had it only been about a month ago that being alone with him like this made me feel like my world was melting?

He rolls his eyes, his arms dropping to his sides with a flop. "You're very funny."

"Mine was way more humiliating." I tease, my hands going into the back pockets of my jeans.

"Then I should have worn my footsie pajamas," Oh God, there's that crooked smile. It almost makes me forget that he was teasing me… again.

"I would have paid good money to see that; that is if I had any."

He looks down at what he's wearing again, "I should probably go change before my mom comes and beats me with her feather duster."

I snort, my hand covering my mouth at the mental image his words evoke.

"I'm going to go change," he starts to walk backward out of the room. "feel free to watch TV, or snoop, whatever you want. I'll be right back." He turns and walks quickly out of the room, leaving me alone in the vast space.

I stand there, awkwardly in the middle of the room. I don't really know what to do, I mean won't it look weird if he comes back and I'm standing in the same place? Not to mention, I still have my coat on, and I don't know where I should put it if I took it off, so isn't the best thing to keep it on? But I'm starting to get warm, so maybe I should take it off…

It's in the middle of my mental spiral, when I see it. A small piece of carved wood in the shape of a mouse, sitting on their mantel below their TV. I step closer to inspect it, completely forgetting all about my dilemma of what I should be doing when he comes back, and the fact that I still have my coat on. I'm completely transfixed by the smoothness of the wood and how perfectly carved the face is. My first thought is that he hadn't been lying when he said that he is into whittling. And that he seems to be pretty amazing at it.

"Oh, you found that." Edward's voice startles me for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, and I yelp, spinning around to face him with my hand over my rapidly beating heart.

He's standing there wearing the same thing that he had worn the night before. He's rocking back on his heels with a blush on his face over the fact that I have found one of his carvings.

 _It's kind of nice when he is the one embarrassed…_

"You're really good." I have to admit that I feel a little powerful when my words make him blush darken. "How did you get into this anyway?" I point to the mouse.

He doesn't say anything at first, he just walks over and picks it up, looking at, like he's inspecting it, before he speaks. "My dad and I used to go fishing a lot. His family had a cabin on a lake in northern California, and he would take me up there a lot. While we were up there a few years ago, he taught me how. His dad taught him how… and so on. It's kind of a tradition."

"That's actually really cool. You miss him, don't you?"

"Yeah," he put the mouse back on the mantel. "What do you want to do?" he changes the subject seamlessly, obviously not wanting to talk about it anymore.

I shrug, "I don't know, it's your house. What do you usually do?"

He blows out a breath, "What I do at your house. Play video games, play chess, shoot hoops…" he trails off.

"Chess?" I have never known anyone that plays chess before.

"Yes, chess. Now you're just teasing me." He rolls his eyes.

"No, I'm not…" then I pause, "Wait, you have a basketball hoop?"

"Yeah," he points to the sliding glass door that leads out to their back patio. "outback."

I walk over to door and slide it open, stepping out onto their back patio to reveal a basketball hoop that is cemented into the ground.

"It was here when we moved in." he steps out behind me, going over to the picnic table and picking up his basketball.

"Oh, yeah, the last people that lived here, there son was a basketball star, he ended up getting a full ride to UNC. I almost forgot."

"Wanna play?" he asks, holding the ball in one hand.

I look at him skeptically. "We've had this discussion, I'm dangerous with one of those." I point my finger viciously at the ball in his hand, causing him to smirk.

"Humor me?" he bounces the ball to me, and I catch it, clumsily, with both hands.

"Fine, just remember to duck." I quip, turning to eye the hoop, knowing that it wasn't going to go well. Some one that is short, with little hand-eye coordination, it is very rare that you make a basket. I throw it with all my might. It ends up not getting anywhere near its intended destination, landing in the bushes behind it instead. I give Edward a look over my shoulder, "I told you I was bad."

He chuckles, going over to get the ball out of the bushes before coming back over to me. "Yeah, Emmett is better competition."

"Emmett also has athletic ability." My brother is one of those people that makes everything look easy. It started when we were younger with piano and transferred to everything he did. He's great at soccer, basketball, and baseball. He picks up everything smoothly, while I struggle with most things. There aren't many things that I had on him, except art. And it makes me insanely jealous. "Besides, you're both tall, which makes it easier."

"You don't have to be tall," I shoot him a look. "Okay, it helps." He dribbles the ball, "You just have to use your legs more, like this." He takes a shot, bending his legs just right and placing his hands just right, before taking his shot. It flies through the air, like it's an extension of his body, and makes a perfect basket.

"Now you're just showing off." I tease as he retrieves the ball. "I could never do that."

"Sure, you can."

"No, I can't."

"Let me show."

"What?" I have seen enough teen rom-coms to know what that means. It means his arms around me… and my hands begin to sweat.

"Let me show you?" he phrases it as a question this time, coming closer to me.

I nod my head, gulping as he hands me the ball. There is no way that I could say no. Gasp for breath and die internally, yes. But, say no to him, I could never do that.

"Hold it like this," he comes around behind me, placing my numb hands on the ball under his. He is telling me how to throw the ball properly, but I can't concentrate on any of what he's saying because I'm too focused on the fact that his chest is against my back and how good he smells. "Now, bend your knees." His breath tickles my neck, as I do what he says. "Now throw."

The ball leaves my hands, going through the air and… not going in. What it does is bounce off the backboard.

"Closer," he chuckles, backing away from me.

I let out a strangled sound that I think is supposed to be a laugh, but it sounds like I'm choking instead. All I could think about is how much I want him to wrap his arms around me again…

 _Jesus, could you use something other than your hormones to think for once?_

I clear my throat, trying to pretend like that strange noise was a tickle in my throat and not that it is closing in on itself. I'm afraid that he's going to the Heimlich Maneuver on me. "Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead." It pains me to say this, but there is no way that my shot nerves can take it if he tries to show me how to make a basket again. Even though, I really, really want him to show me again.

Edward chuckles, once again placing the basketball on the picnic table. "Well, what do you suggest we do then?" he leans against the picnic table with his arms and ankles crossed, looking at me with an amused expectant look on his face.

 _Oh, I don't know... go make-out?_

"I don't know," I shrug my shoulders, "I'm completely lost." It's true, I am lost. It is so much easier to think of things to do when I am on my own turf. But here, at his house, I have no clue.

He sighs, thinking for a second. "We could get out of here for a while."

"And where do you suggest we go?" It isn't like either of us can drive, so our options are limited.

"We could walk up to the road to the McDonald's. I just wouldn't mind getting out of this house for a little while."

"Okay, that sounds good."

"Cool."

We walk back inside his house, he goes into a room off the kitchen that I hadn't noticed before, telling his mom, who is sitting at a desk working on a computer, where we were going. She nods her head, barely looking up from the computer, telling him to get a twenty from her wallet on our way out.

The McDonald's is located on the corner of Cary Parkway and High House Road, across the street from the shopping center that houses the neighborhood Lowe's Foods. It is fancily named McCafé, because in Preston everything is extra. There is even a clock tower in front of it that has Preston written on the top. Although, part of the fanciness is turned down when you realize that the establishment is hooked to a gas station.

We order two cokes and large fries to share, sitting in one of the booths located in front of the electric fireplace in the corner, the TV over top muted on CNN, like it always is.

"You really dip your fries in that?" he asks, his face scrunched up as he jabs his finger at the container of barbecue sauce that I'm taking the plastic cover off.

I roll my eyes, "Yes. It's good."

"It's weird." He speaks around a fry in his mouth. Normally I would be repulsed and disgusted, but for some reason when he does it, it's cute. This is also the moment that I realize that I am in soooo deep. No lifeguard can save from drowning in the Edward pool now, and I will gladly sink to the bottom.

"Just because you don't do it, doesn't mean that it's weird." My voice doesn't convey the teasing tone that I want it to, instead it sounds breathy, like a fourteen-year-old who's hormones are raging around the guy she thinks is cute.

Great!

"You should try it," I comment, taking a fry and dipping it in the sauce and popping it in my mouth.

He picks up a fry, his hand darting like a flash across the table and dips into the container. He takes a bite, taking the time to chew and swallow before saying: "It's not terrible," he admits, "but, it's still weird."

"You like it, admit." I urgingly tease, taking another fry from the tray.

"Alright, fine, you're right. I like… it." My eyes go wide and my breath hitches when I look up and his are locked on me, because we both know what he means. The 'it' isn't an it at all, it was a you.

"Me, too." I agree, swallowing thickly as I put the fry that's still in my limp hand into my mouth. I am exhilarated and ecstatic, because he feels the same way. But, my heart clenches at the same time, because I am not broken up with James yet, and I don't know if I've crossed a line.

We're both quiet for a while, because there's an elephant still standing between us, and its name is James.

"So," Edward speaks breaking the silence that was becoming strained, "how did you get into cheerleading?" The question is random, but I don't care. It offers a distraction, something to get our minds off the elephant.

"Gymnastics."

"Gymnastics?"

"Yeah, I was super into it when I was younger. I was good, too. I'd finally something that I had excelled at, something that Emmett didn't do, and I threw myself into it. I spent all of my free time practicing." I pause to take a sip of my drink. "Last year, I decided to go out for cheerleading, because it was another outlet that I could use my skills for. I ended up falling more in love with that than I had ever been in love with gymnastics. It didn't hurt that it gave me more time with my friends."

"Wow." Is his only reply, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat; this is a big part of my life, and the only response he has is wow.

"Is that a good wow or a bad wow?"

"Good," he rushes, not wanting me to get the wrong idea. "I just can't picture it."

"Why?" I lift my brow at him, trying to pretend like I'm offended.

"Because… you're tiny and you can't throw a basketball…"

"Being good at basketball has nothing to do with being good at gymnastics."

"I know, but still." He pops another fry in his mouth. "You just don't seem…"

"Sporty?" I finish for him.

"Yeah."

"This coming from the guy that said he didn't play sports, either." I contend.

"No, I didn't." his brow furrows, looking at me like I am crazy, which I might be.

"That's what you told my dad." I tried not to cringe when I think about that horrific dinner. This is the first time that I have verbally acknowledged that it had happened at all.

Realization lights his face; his features soften as he sits back on his side of the booth. "He asked in regard to my new school, not my old one."

"Oh." Now it's hard for me to put artistic, piano playing Edward with sweaty, uniform wearing Edward. The two just don't mess together in my head. "What sport?"

He smirks, "Basketball."

"Right, of course, I should have known." Cue mental face palm.

We fall into another silence, only this time it's not strained as we finish the fries, and I feel brave enough to ask my next question.

"Is your mom part of the reason that you like to get out of the house?" I can't help thinking about their interaction back at his house, and how she had barely looked up. I mean, my parents had barely looked up when I left my house this afternoon, but I at least know that they care.

He lets out a breath through his nose, not looking at me, and I immediately feel awful for asking.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, it's none of my business…"

"Bella," his hand shoots across the table to rest on top of my mine, and I can't breathe. "stop that. I don't mind. It's just a loaded question is all." He pauses for a second thinking, but his hand doesn't leave mine, and I am afraid to move my hand at all because I don't want him to think that I don't want him to touch me. Quite the opposite. I like it. A lot. "My mom's great, she is. She just works a lot. So, does Carlisle. Sometimes it feels like I get lost in the shuffle of their lives."

"I'm sorry." My voice is quiet as I try to imagine what that could possibly feel like, but I can't. My parents have always made my brother and I their priority. Hence, them being home every night for dinner and on the weekends. I can't imagine what it feels like to get lost in the shuffle, because I've always been at the top of my parents' deck.

"It's okay," he smiles softly at me, his hand curling around mine. Now, he's not just touching it, he's holding it. If I were a cat, all nine of my lives would be gone. "I've got some pretty awesome people to hang out with."

I smile back at him, curling my hand around his, holding his back.

We leave McDonald's not long after our conversation. All the way back to our neighborhood, he's holding my hand and I can't fight the smile on my face. We get to his house first, where we part. I leave him with a tentative wave, and a promise to text him later. I am on a cloud as I walk home; but come crashing down when I turn to go up my front walk, because there sits James.

I stand here, shocked. It's Saturday, he should be at his dad's house, not sitting on my front porch steps, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"Hey," I finally say when I get my mind to work again.

"Hey," he stands from his seat on the steps, but doesn't come any closer.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came home early." He puts his hands in his pockets. "Your parents said that you were at a friend's."

"I was."

"You were at his house, weren't you?"

I nod.

"I really do like you, Bella. Shouldn't that count for something?" he can barely look at me when he asks.

"I'm sorry." Is my only response. I am sorry, I had never meant to hurt him, and I should have ended it long ago when I felt inklings for another guy instead stringing him along.

He sighs, finally coming down from the steps, "I figured, it doesn't make it easier to hear." As he starts to walk past, he pauses. "See you around, Bella."

I turn and watch him walk away. It strikes me that I'm not crying, nor do I feel sad. All I feel is an overwhelming sense of relief.

 **A/N: I have to admit, this is one of my favorite chapters I have ever written.**

 **See you Friday.**


	10. All I Want For Christmas Is You

**Did I mention that I was the worst poster? Not currently having a computer of my own is driving me crazy.**

10\. All I Want for Christmas Is You

I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas  
Is you  
You, baby

\- All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey

November bleeds into December. Alice and I end up getting an A on our history project, which she is ecstatic about. Thanksgiving is a low-key affair, most of my friends go out of town for the holiday to be with their extended families. The holiday isn't as big of a deal in our house. Mom still makes a turkey and we have cinnamon buns while we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but it's more relaxed than Christmas. Our grandparents don't even come down, but they do call later that night.

Edward and I have texted or talked to each other on the phone almost every day for the past month. We hang out almost every weekend, either at my house or at his. We also go to the movies with the entire group. It's fun and relaxed, the guys goofing around most of the time and Quil throws popcorn into Claire's hair. He doesn't talk about his dad much, and I don't ask. I think it's hard for him to be so far away.

Before I know it, it's the last day of school before winter break. The girls and I are all standing around my locker while I put my books back inside. It was a glorious thought that I wouldn't need them for the next two weeks, and I was more than ready.

"So," Rose adjusts her bag on her shoulder. "have you gotten Edward's gift yet?"

I close my locker, turning to give her a look. All my friends had been trying to get out of me what it was that I had gotten him, but I had stayed very tight lipped about it. Mainly because I was nervous to give it to him because I didn't know if he was going to like it.

"Yeah." I say simply, starting to walk toward the door. Emmett and I had gone out a couple of weeks ago to buy our gifts. I had helped him find the pink sweater that Rose had been hinting at for the past two months, and he helped me find Edward's present… well, part of his gift. It was the first time that we had done something together without fighting the whole time.

"So, you guys are like a thing now, right?" Claire pressed as we came to a stop in front of the gym.

I look at the three sets of eyes on me, adjusting the backpack strap on my shoulder while I thought about how I was going to reply. We talked every day and hung out and held hands, but did that automatically mean that we were a thing?

"I guess," I shrug.

Alice squealed, physically vibrating as she claps her hands. "It's so exciting! You're dating a hot high school guy!"

I laugh, shaking my head at her, but it slips from my face when I see James start to walk by, holding hands with Victoria. It wasn't that I was jealous or sad, it was just weird seeing my ex-boyfriend with a new girl. When we had come back from Thanksgiving break, they'd walked into school hand and hand. It kind of felt like it was his way of trying to get back at me; or make me jealous. I hated to admit it that, at first, it kind of worked.

"Well, I'm going to go," I start backing toward the door. "see you guys tomorrow night." My parents were shutting down the restaurant to host a Christmas party for our family and friends. My grandparents were coming down later tonight. It was something that they had done every year, and it was always so much fun.

By the time that I make it outside, Mom is waiting out front, and Emmett is in the front seat. I roll eyes when he grins at as I get into the back, because he was able to get shotgun for once.

Mom asks how our day was, which is typical after school conversation. We both give our usual answer of 'fine,' she laughs under her breath because the answer never changes. When we get home, I drop my backpack by the door where it will be ignored for the next two weeks.

The next morning, as I am wrapping Edward's gifts, he texts me, and I can't help the butterflies that start fluttering as I pick up my phone to respond.

What's up? -E

Wrapping your presents. -B

You could just stick them in a bag. -E

That would be cheating. -B

Just wanted to let you know that my grandparents are coming tonight, too. -E

 _Oh God Oh God Red Alert RED ALERT_

Suddenly, I am really happy that my grandmothers had dragged me out to get something nice to wear last night. At the time, I groaned, because they always tried to put in the brightest colors that they could find, but now I was happy. Because, I was going to be meeting Edward's grandparents.

 _Gul_ p!

I play it cool and text that I can't wait to meet them but am really trying not to throw up.

Edward told me about his mom's parents, which were the only grandparents that he saw. They were rich, snooty people that didn't take to new people easily. They were used to going to parties with caviar and champagne. The closest they would be getting to that tonight would be sparkling wine. He didn't get along with them much, and I was scared. They seemed like they would be hard to impress, and I found myself wondering if they were going to at least pretend to like me to my face.

I finish wrapping his gifts, making my way downstairs where I leave them by the door. My grandfathers are both asleep on the couch, Jingle All the Way on the TV. I follow the sound of laughter to the kitchen, where my grandmothers are making gingerbread and sugar cookies together. Emmett is sitting at the kitchen table, shamelessly stuffing his face with some of the cookies that he was obviously supposed to be decorating.

"Hey, Nugget!" Mama, my maternal grandmother greets me first, coming over to kiss me on the forehead, her cheek smudged white with flour. "We were wondering if you were going to appear today."

"Yes," Nana, my paternal grandmother, turns her head to look at me from where she's mixing things together in a bowl at the counter. "What's our girl been up to? Not talking to that boyfriend of yours?"

"What?" I ask, taking a seat across from Emmett at the kitchen table, because I had gone out of my way to not tell them about Edward yet.

Mama comes over to me, placing a decorated gingerbread man in front of me. She knows how much I love them. "Your brother has told us all about him."

"He sounds like quite the cutie." Nana comments, coming over and hitting Emmett on the shoulder with a dishtowel because he is still eating more Christmas cookies than he is decorating them. That's when I notice that they are both wearing matching white turtle necks and ugly red Christmas vests.

"Oh, he did." I look at my brother with an evil expression, because revenge is so sweet. "Did he also tell you that he has a girlfriend?"

"Oh, our little Emmie has a girlfriend!" His cheeks redden as the nickname he despises comes out of Nana's mouth as she pinches his cheek.

"Her name's Rosalie Hale." I offer as he gives me a look that I actually worry could kill me.

I watch, with a smirk on my face, as they bombard him with questions about Rose for the next twenty minutes, happy that the heat has been taken off me for the moment; and I forget all about Edward's grandparents as I enjoy the show.

Our parents get back home a few hours later so that they can get ready for tonight. They had left earlier in the day to get everything set up at the restaurant for tonight.

As I look at myself in the mirror in my bathroom, taking in my forest green, crushed velvet dress and my hair that I had had Mom help me curl, nerves over take me again. In less than thirty minutes, I am going to be face to face with Edward's grandparents.

 _Lord, help me!_

I find myself wondering if he's as nervous as I am, but I doubt it. Even if he is, no one will be able to tell, unlike me who might end up spilling punch all over whatever his grandmother is wearing, because I can never keep my cool.

"Oh, my goodness," Mom gasps as she walks into my bathroom. "you look so grown up."

She comes behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders as she looks at my reflection in the mirror. She's wearing a crimson wrap dress, black heels, and black tights. Her brown hair in bun on the top of her head, showing off the diamond studs that Dad gave her on their fifteenth anniversary.

"Thanks," I reply, watching her brush my hair behind my shoulder and run her fingers through it. It was something that she used to do a lot when I was little, when she'd brush my hair every night after my shower.

She looks at my face in the mirror, "Are you okay? You seem a little anxious."

"Yeah, I'm fine." _No, I'm not! I'M FREAKING OUT!_ Then, I sigh because she's still looking at me, giving me a look only a mom can when they know that you're lying. It's almost like she can hear my internal dialogue. "I'm meeting Edward's grandparents tonight."

"Oh," she has that all-knowing mom tone to her voice now. The one that can both irritate and comfort you. Sometimes at the same time.

"I just don't know if they're going to like me, that's all."

She gives me a soft half smile, "I can't imagine someone not liking you."

I roll my eyes; she has to say this, she's my mother.

"One day, if you have kids, you will understand." She places her hands on top of my shoulders. "Even if they don't, who cares."

I scoff at her when those words come tumbling out of her mouth. How could she say that? How could she say that I shouldn't care what they think? I couldn't imagine not caring about someone thinks of me. In fact, I thought about it all the time.

"Just trust me," she kisses the top of my head. "Besides, Edward's just as nervous as you are."

I snort, "Yeah, right."

"Trust me. He is."

Emmet and I rode to the restaurant with Mama and Papa, while Nana and Pop-pop rode with our parents.

Papa always has the radio turned to an oldies station, and he's ranting about how much better 'their' music was compared to today's, like he always does, and Emmett and I just nod along in agreement. It's easier than arguing.

The first thing that I think when we walk into the restaurant, is that our parents have outdone themselves. There's garland and lights hung along the ceiling and a huge tree in the front corner with more decorations than necessary on it. Food set up buffet style on long tables with red and green tablecloths, tiny snowmen and elf figurines, and even more garland and lights decorate them. There's Christmas music softly playing through the speakers, making it more atmospheric.

As our friends and their parents arrive, the guys end up in a corner, grumbling about having to wear ties. The girls are all wearing festive colored dresses with tights.

I'm helping Mom finish putting out the plates when fingers tap me on the shoulder.

"Hey," Edward says as I turn to face him. He's wearing a red sweater over a white button down and slacks. I had only ever seen him in casual clothes, so I don't know how to react to seeing him dressed up. I half expect myself to start drooling. "You look great."

I feel my face flame at his complement, "Thanks. So, do you."

One second, we were alone, smiling like idiots at each other; and the next, my grandmothers were on him like white on rice, talking animatedly in unison. I stood there dumbfounded, trying to figure out how two women their age could move with supersonic speed.

"Oh, he's so handsome," Nana's eyes sparkle as she not so subtly whispers to me.

"Nugget has told us a lot about you." Mama says to Edward, and I immediately want to die.

He looks at me, amused. "Nugget?"

I can feel how hot my face is, and I have thoughts of crawling under the table and never coming out because my grandmothers have royally embarrassed me in front of my maybe boyfriend.

"I was obsessed with chicken nuggets when I was little," I mumble, avoiding eye contact with him because all of my dignity is gone.

It strikes me as I ironic that I was nervous to meet his grandparents, but I was never nervous for him to meet mine, and I should have been. Because, now I am humiliated. Meeting his couldn't possibly be this bad, right? I couldn't be anymore humiliated than I am right now, right?

Nana asks him all about school, sports, and musical instruments, and I can see where Dad gets his interrogational skills from. Edward takes it like a champ, answering all their questions. By the time that it's over, I think that my grandmothers are both swooning.

My grandfathers are much easier. The only thing they do is introduce themselves and shake his hand. They don't feel the need to get his entire life story like their wives do. Then again, they know that they'll get the run down later that night from Nana and Mama.

"Sorry about Mama and Nana," I start as we walk away from my grandparents. "they can be a bit intrusive. I don't think that they have the concept of boundaries."

"Don't worry about it." He takes my hand in his, intertwining our fingers.

I bite my lip as I look at my hand clasped in his. Holding his hand has quickly become my favorite thing; I can feel it in my toes.

"Ready to meet mine?" There's a slight smirk on his face, but his voice is wary, telling me that he's just as nervous for me to meet them as I am. Knowing that actually makes me feel a little better; but, it doesn't stop my heart from sinking into my stomach and for my hands to become clammy.

"Mhmm," I nod my head, giving him a smile that I hope is convincing, but I know I fail miserably by the skeptical look on his face.

I let him lead me through the throng of my friends and family, to where his grandparents are standing off in a secluded corner, talking to each other as they survey the room. If were possible for two people to actually look rich, it would be them. Their attire reeks of money. His grandfather is wearing a suit that I am pretty sure costs at least several hundred dollars. His grandmother's dress puts mine, that I found at JC Penney, to shame. I suddenly feel inadequate and like I just stepped into another world from my own. Instead of them being the outsiders to my life, I feel like the outsiders to theirs.

I squeeze Edward's hand as we get closer, their eyes glued to me and I can't tell if they like what they see. I find myself second guessing my dress choice and wishing that I had had my mom put a little makeup on me.

"Grandma, Grandpa, this is my girlfriend, Bella." Edward introduces me, and my eyes shoot to him as my chest warms at him calling me his girlfriend. I bite my cheek to keep the cheek splitting grin that wants to spread across my face at bay.

"It's nice to meet you." I reach out and shake their hands, all the way his grandmother is giving me the once over, and I self-consciously run my hands along my dress to make sure that it looks okay.

"Eddie here hasn't been able to stop talking about you." His grandfather offers.

 _Eddie_? I mouth, making Edward rock back on his heels and blush. I'd never heard anyone call him that before. It seems to be right up there with my grandmothers calling me Nugget in front of him.

"How old are you, Bella?" his grandmother finally speaks, and she looks and sounds exactly like Emily Gilmore.

I gulp, "Fourteen."

"And your parents own this place?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hmm."

Before I can obsess over what the 'hmm' meant, Mom and Dad start to corral everyone for dinner. Pop-Pop says the blessing, like he always does at family gatherings before we start eating. I sit next to Edward and Alice, thankful that both of our grandparents are at the opposite end of the table.

Dinner is a quiet affair that passes quickly. When it's over and the dessert is getting prepared, my friends and I gather on the floor by the Christmas tree to exchange our group gift. Every year we all got something small, like a gift card, for all of us. That way, we would all be able to get something from each of us.

As we all trade gifts and start opening them, my eyes narrow at the gift card that I am holding. It's a freaking Dave and Buster's freaking gift card. The girls and I had decided to get the guys all Dave and Buster's gift cards because one had just opened in Cary Towne Center. We had all kept it hush-hush, so there was only one way that they had found out about it.

I hit my brother in the shoulder, "You saw me buying yours, didn't you?"

When we'd gone out shopping, I had run into the place to purchase his. I had thought that I had gotten in when he'd been busy someplace else, but being the sneaky piece of crap, he was, he had obviously seen and had planned the whole thing.

Emmett rubbed his shoulder, "No. It was just a lucky guess."

"Bull crap!" I roll my eyes, as the rest of the guys looked sheepishly at the girls that were glaring at them.

"I hate video games." Alice grumbled to Jasper who had given her hers.

Edward just sat there amused by the whole thing.

"Hey," I leaned towards him. "I have something for you." I stood, my heart pounding a little as I lead him to the bench by the front door where people waiting for a table could sit, where I had left his gifts.

Here goes nothing.

"I have something for you, too." He holds a gift bag. "I know that you said it was cheating, but it was all I had."

He takes a sit next to me, neither one of us moving at first, not knowing who should go first.

"Here," I shove the two wrapped gifts at him, just wanting to get it over with. "The big one first."

"Now I feel bad because I only got you the one." He says as he complies with my request and opens the larger one first.

"It's just a little something." And it is just a little something. A little something that he will either love or hate.

He lets out a laugh as he opens the gift box to reveal a Lakers sweatshirt. He takes it out, holding it in front of it, admiring it.

"You only talk about them all the time."

"Thank you," he smiles, putting it down as he reaches for the second present.

I practically hold my breath, waiting his reaction, as he unwraps it, revealing a block of wood.

"Bella," his voice is soft as he looks at it, holding it in his hands like it's the most precious thing in the world.

"I hope that it's the right kind. I had no idea what I was doing. The associate helping me in Home Depot looked at me like I was crazy when I told him what it was for."

"You have no idea how much this means to me." He looks at me with soft eyes that make me feel like a pile of mush.

"I know that it makes you feel close to your dad." I shrug, not knowing what else to say.

He shakes his head, grabbing the gift bag on the floor by his feet, and hands it to me. "You're turn."

He looks at me expectantly as I remove the tissue paper and take out a set of Golden acrylic paint. I'd mentioned one time how much I preferred acrylic over watercolor and he remembered.

 _Oh my God, don't cry! You've been embarrassed enough tonight, it's just paint! Get a grip!_

But, despite my inner monologue, I can feel the tears prick my eyes, because he knows me so well. He didn't get me something meaningless like perfume. He got me paint.

"I don't know if that brand's any good. I used Google, so it could have lied to me. The guy at Michael's said a different brand, but I wasn't sure about that one, so I went with the one that I saw a lot of on the internet…" his cheeks are red as he trails off from rambling. The sight of him all shy and bashful just makes me want to kiss him.

"It's perfect." I sniff, able to keep the tears from spilling over.

Something passes between us as we look at each other, his eyes going to my mouth. My heart can't help the way that it stutters, realizing that he wants to kiss me as much as I want kiss him.

 _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…_

He starts to lean closer to me.

 _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…_

I start to lean toward him.

 _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…_

 _I'm about to be kissed. Be cool. Except for the fact that I don't know how to kiss…_

The moment his lips touch mine, my mind stops working. I have no idea if I'm doing it right, or if I am actually kissing him back. All I know, is that I'm getting kissed. And it's perfect.

Merry Christmas to me!

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait... again. I will post on Friday, even if it kills.**

 **I'm going to go work on the next chapter. It's a brand new one that I wrote about a month ago.**

 **See you Friday.**


	11. You're Still a Mystery

**Alright, for the time being, until I can get my own computer up and running again, I am going to post once a week. I'm not going to say a specific day since I'm sharing with someone else, my access to the computer is up to them.**

 **Now that that is out of the way. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's new.**

 **Also, a few chapters back I had James called Troy. So, if there are any names that don't make since, please let me know. I'm taking this story and putting back into the world of fanfic.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **This is a re-post. I went into fix something in the chapter through the fanfic app on my phone and the end of the chapter got cut off. Third times a charm, I guess. Hopefully, the chapter makes more sense now that the ending is there.**

11\. You're Still a Mystery

Want to give you something better than I've been  
I wanna write your name up on my wall  
Wake you up in the dead of the night  
Breaking the lines just trying to get better

\- You're Still a Mystery, Bleachers

Alice: I can't believe you got kissed!

I chew on my lip as I re-read her text for the millionth time, like it will make it more real the more I read it. I haven't come down since it happened. My bones feel like jelly every time I think about his lips on mine. It's all I'm able to think about.

"Nugget," Mama pats my leg. We're supposed to be having family time and I've been glued to my phone the entire time. She doesn't look mad, but rather amused. She and Nana know exactly what's up with me. Mama gives me a knowing smile and a wink. "Everything okay?"

I fight the blush and my lips tingle, "Yeah." I finally put my phone on the coffee table, coming back to reality for the time being.

"Do you want to play rummy with me and Nana?"

"Sure."

The rest of the night is filled with the appropriate festivities. We watch _Christmas Vacation_ per tradition. Emmett ends up eating his weight in cookies, which is nothing new. We end the night riding around looking at the lights in the neighborhood.

The Cullen house is decked out just as one would imagine. It's all clear lights and angels, none of the tacky blow-up Santas and reindeer. It makes the light-up Rudolph in our yard look sad and lonely.

The magic of Christmas has slightly lessened for my brother and I given our age, so our parents end up having to wake us up at nine the next morning. We all exchange gifts.

Both sets of grandparents give us a couple small trinkets and cash, so we can go out and get what we want. Mom and Dad give me a new easel and a leather-bound sketchbook, which I didn't even know existed. They give Emmett tickets to a Hurricanes game, making him flip out like he's still a little kid. Emmett and I give each other Visa gift cards, courtesy of our parents. We even make Mickey Mouse pancakes like we used to when we were little, while I try not to gag watching my brother drink eggnog.

Our grandparents go home the day after Christmas to lightly falling snow.

In less than twelve hours, the picturesque snowfall turns into a snowstorm. It's the first of the year and kids are out in it, squealing and having snowball fights.

By the following day, it's a winter wonderland and Rose ends up at our front door wearing a brand new emerald green coat with matching cream colored scarf, hat, and gloves. Her nose is even pink like in the movies. She looks like she belongs on the streets of New York, not on my porch.

"You're way too excited for this," I raze, because I am too. We don't get a lot of snow, so I enjoy it while I can, making snow angels and snowmen. Basically, my friends and I turn into five-year-olds.

"It's just an opportunity for me to show off my new coat." She gives a twirl, making me laugh.

"Alice would be proud."

"Get you coat on, Swan. I want to beat you in a snowball fight!" Claire yells from the end of the walkway, bundled from head to toe, lightly bouncing on her balls of her feet to keep warm. She's not a fan of the cold.

"Come on," Rose bumps her hip against mine. "The rest of the guys are meeting us at Alice's. We just need you and your brother." For things like this, we usually end up at Alice's because she has the biggest backyard.

"And Mr. McHottie!" Claire yells back.

I go inside and tell Emmett what's going on before going upstairs and putting on enough layers that I could survive the tundra. We meet Rose and Claire outside the house, my brother and Rose breaking off, heading toward Alice's, while Claire comes with me to Edward's house.

"He lives here?" Claire looks up at the Cullen's house in awed amazement. While we all lived in Preston, none of us had known anyone before Edward that lived in a real mansion. She actually looks slightly intimidated, and that's not something that can typically be said about Claire. Usually she's the one doing the intimidating. "This house has to cost millions. I didn't realize they were this loaded. What do his parents do?"

"His mom's an interior designer. She used to work with celebrities a lot."

Claire just nods, not taking her eyes off the monstrosity that is their house. While it isn't the biggest house in the neighborhood, it is still at least twice the size of all of our houses.

"Are you going to go knock?" she prompts when I continue to stand rooted to my spot on the sidewalk.

I'm suddenly nervous, this is the first time I'm seeing him since the party several days ago. With the holiday and family obligations, we haven't spoken, and I'm not sure what it's going to be like between us now, as stupid as that may sound.

"Go on," she pushes me lightly on the shoulder. "He won't bite."

I sigh, telling myself how ridiculous it is for me to stand here. It's not like he's someone I don't know, he's Edward. My boyfriend.

 _There go the butterflies._

Claire immediately starts making kissing noises as I walk toward his front door, causing me to shoot a glare at her over my shoulder. Calling on my courage, I ring the doorbell.

When the door opens, I'm nervous all over again, because his grandmother is standing before me in all Emily Gilmore-ness. Her hair is perfectly in place and she looks almost regal in her cream colored slacks and blush colored top, a string of pearls around her neck.

I swallow back the lump that has formed in my throat. She is the last person I expected to answer the door.

"Yes?" she asks, and I swear that when she sees it's me, she makes the space between her and the door smaller, like she doesn't want to me to see inside.

"I… is Edward home?" I chew on the inside of my lip, trying, in vain, to make it seem like I'm not nervous, but this woman is so intimidating and I don't think she likes me very much.

She looks me up and down, her eyes flashing momentarily over my shoulder to Claire. Her expression gives nothing away, as I wait for her to answer me. I should've just texted him. That would've been less torturous.

Finally, her eyes meet mine again. "One moment." She closes the door firmly in my face, not even offering to let me in.

I look back to Claire, her stunned expression matching my own, and I just shrug.

For the eternity that I stand here, I actually wonder if anyone's going to come to the door, or if I'm just going to be left out here until I've decided that I've been humiliated enough and leave.

When the door opens again, and Edward materializes in front of me, I'm sick with relief. He's in the same Metallica t-shirt he was wearing when I first came to his house, jeans, and socks. His hair is in total disarray, like he just woke up.

"Hey." A smile spreads across his face when he sees it's me, the total opposite of the reaction that I had just gotten.

A warmth spreads thru me, a smile coming to my face. "Hey."

Our moment only lasts a few seconds before Claire's voice calls out: "Ask him already!" I can hear the teasing in her voice, but her words still make me blush.

I clear my throat, my hands going into my pockets, "We're all having a snowball fight, do you want to come?"

"Yeah," he replies enthusiastically, looking over his shoulder. "Just give me a minute, and I'll be right out."

I nod, "Okay."

The door closes again, but softer this time, like his not asking me in is sparing me from something inside.

He's back quicker than I anticipated in a black coat and gloves, no hat, and I try not to cringe at how cold his ears are going to get.

"I've never seen anyone be given the evil eye before." Claire mutters once we're walking in the direction of Alice's house.

"What?" Edward looks from me to her.

"Your grandmother was totally freezing her out." Claire tells him and I want to shove a ton of snow in her face. She's always told everyone the way it is, no matter the person.

Edward rolls his eyes, "God, I can't wait for them to leave." His reaction tells me that there's more to it than just his grandmother giving me the freeze. I think back to the party and the almost judgy tone she used with me as she took in everything that my parents had worked so hard for, like it wasn't enough. Like I wasn't enough. I wonder if she made her opinion of me clear to him. I bet she did.

His fingers brush against mine, before they tangle together with my own, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Just like that, all the unwelcome thoughts are banished.

The rest of our friends are already at Alice's, their yelling can be heard from the front of the house. The guys are covered in snow and the girls are trying to shield themselves from their attack.

"You made it!" Alice comes running over, decked out in hot pink everything.

"Finally!" yells Quil as he comes over. "We can do girls vs. boys." Before any of us can agree, he's putting a handful of snow down the back of Claire's shirt.

She shakes out the back of her coat, trying to get the melting snow away from her skin. "Now you're asking for it!"

Somehow, the rest of us get roped into their war, snow flying everywhere. There's no clear winner, which I don't think was the point anyway. Alice's mom appears from inside, carrying a tray of hot chocolate for all of us. I take a cup, the warm cup thawing my hands. Even though I'm wearing gloves, they've still become ice cubes.

I take a seat on the steps of their back porch next to Edward, trying not to shiver.

"I think I'm over the snow." he says, and it's only then that I notice that he's shivering.

"Cold there, Mr. Hollywood?" I tease, taking a sip of my hot chocolate.

He shoots me a glare, "Maybe," his eyes take on a humorous glint. "Nugget."

I groan, feeling the embarrassment all over again. "Please don't call me that," I pause. "Eddie."

It's his turn to groan. "I hate that they called me that in front of you."

"Probably about as much as I hate that my grandmother called me Nugget in front of you." I knock his elbow with mine. "They're the only ones that still call me that. My parents acknowledge the fact that I've outgrown it."

"I kind of like Nugget. I think it suits you."

"You only like it because it amuses you." I'm quick to point out.

"Maybe," he moves closer to me, his arm coming around me on the step. He's so close that I wonder if this is the moment he'll kiss me again.

Gah! I've become obsessed. All I can think about is when he'll do it again.

When the moment drags on, and he doesn't move in, I decide that I need to break the tension. Well, I'm feeling tension. He's sitting next to me cool as a cucumber. He probably only got closer to me because he's cold.

"I'll make you a deal. You can call me Nugget, if I can call you Eddie." I stick my hand out for him to shake. "Fairs, fair."

He looks at my hand for a second, contemplating, before shaking mine, a smirk coming to his face. "Deal." He pauses. "Nugget."

"The novelty with wear off eventually, Eddie."

"I don't know, Nugget, I kind of like this arrangement." He scoots closer still.

"What? Being called by our embarrassing names." I try not to notice that his side is basically flush with mine, and I clutch my cup of hot chocolate tighter. This conversation has taken a much more serious direction. I can feel the heaviness of it. Or maybe it's because he's so close.

"No," he shakes his head. "You're the only one to know… me. Yeah, I had friends back in California, but none of them knew me. You do. That's why I'm comfortable with you calling me Eddie."

My heart swells at his words, causing me to fall even deeper into the Edward pool.

This is when I decide I'm done waiting for him.

This time, I'm the one that kisses him.

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed.**

 **See you soon.**


	12. Ho Hey

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I hit a bit of a creative rut with this chapter, so I took a step back for a minute and worked on some other things. One Night being one of them. Anyway, I hope the chapter is worth the wait.**

 **Happy reading.**

12\. Ho Hey

I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart  
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweet' (ho)

\- Ho Hey, The Lumineers

Going back to school after winter break is always awful. Everyone's walking around on that first day like they're extras in a zombie movie, even the teachers are less than spectacular. Mr. Byrd doesn't even wear his typical sweater vest for this Monday morning, only the second time this has occurred the entire year.

January brings the end of cheerleading for the year. Our last practice is bittersweet because it's the last one with this squad. Us eighth graders give our coach a big handmade card to tell her how great of coach she was and how we'll miss her next year. We make the poor woman cry.

January and February are the worst months of the year, whoever doesn't think this, is crazy. They're the coldest and most boring. Unlike the first half of the school year, this is the longest stretch we have without days off, other than Martin Luther King Day, there are no teacher workdays. The only amount of excitement that occurs throughout the student body is Valentine's Day.

My friends and I exchange cards, candy, and stuffed animals, nothing serious. Edward and I hang out that night, and he gives me a carved bird. It was supposed to be Christmas ornament, but it hadn't been done in time. I hang it from my bedside lamp. After his sweet, heartfelt gift, I give him a homemade card that I may have put too much glitter on. Seems kind of anti-climactic.

The rest of early spring drags on, like it always does. The dry spell between winter break and spring break is torturous. By the time the last day before spring break arrives, teachers and students are watching the clock, counting down the minutes until we'll be free for a week.

The guys are finally able to talk us into using the Dave and Buster's gift cards over spring break. The fifteen dollars available to each of us don't go very far, so the night ends early. So, their plan doesn't go as seamlessly as they thought it would.

The warmer weather brings with it the bipolar North Carolina weather when it rains when it's supposed to be sunny. The only time that I've been thankful for this phenomenon is when it rains on the day, we're supposed to run the mile in gym class. Instead, we end up playing dodgeball in the gym which is its own torture.

"Jared asked me the dance!" Claire whisper-squeals as Mrs. Harris explains all the things we can and cannot do while playing. In the past, there's been an issue with the few rambunctious boys in the class aiming for below the belt, or someone else's head. Even though she's saying these things can't occur, we all know they will.

"Really?" Rose asks enthusiastically.

"Yeah," she nods. "He passed me a note in class and asked me!"

Claire's been talking non-stop gushing about the guy for the last month ever since her math teacher had re-assigned the seats and put them next to each other. She'd been done for when he sat down, offering her a piece of gum. Obviously, the infatuation is mutual.

"Have you told Alice, yet?" Rose asks as Mrs. Harris blows her whistle to start the game.

Claire shakes her head, "No, I didn't have the chance."

"She's so going to die!"

I'm able to get through the ordeal that is dodgeball without any bruising or bleeding. Alice has the appropriate freak out when Claire tells her after school. the summer is so close that we can all almost taste it. The eighth graders are all abuzz about graduation and the formal that is coming up on May twenty-first.

Alice, Rose, and Claire have been excitedly talking about the dance the last week. The three of them already have their dresses and dates and can't _wait_ for the dance. None of them can pass up an opportunity to dress up. I, on the other hand, am not sure if I want to go. It's one of those things that I don't think that I will regret if I don't do it. It isn't like its prom. Me and crowds don't always mix. Ironic coming from a cheerleader. But, in my defense, when cheering at a game or a competition, the crowd is contained in bleachers and can't surround me to the point that I can't move.

"I think it's sweet that you offered to do this for my mom, but you really didn't have to." I'm leaning against the side of the house, watching Edward getting ready to plant flowers in the flower bed that has remained empty the last eight years that we've lived in the house until one day last week when my mom suddenly decided to finally plant something. Edward, just being the type of person, he is, offered to do it for her. Mom I think swooned a little and my dad looked relieved, he didn't want to do just as much as me and Emmett. So, today is flowerbed day.

"I know," he puts the shovel and bag of Miracle Grow that he found in the shed on the ground, "but… I don't know… it's the least I can do." He looks bashfully down at the currently empty flowerbed, rocking back on his heels.

"The least you can do?" I cross my arms over my chest, confused by what he means.

He sighs, "It's just I'm here all the time and I eat your food…"

"My parents love you." And they do. Mom can't stop talking about how sweet and respectful he is and how, unlike Emmett, never leaves a mess behind. Dad is kind of hot and cold. I can't totally tell if he likes him or not.

"Still," Edward looks pointedly at me, "it's something I can do to pay them back." He shrugs right shoulder. "Besides, it gives me an excuse to spend more time with you."

When he says things like that, I can't help but swoon. Judging by the smirk that he is trying to contain, he knows exactly what he was doing when he said that.

I punch him playfully on the shoulder, "You're so cocky!"

He laughs but doesn't deny what I said. He just rubs his shoulder before he turns to get started.

"What can I do to help?" I ask, leaving my perch against the house. I will help him plant flowers just to spend the time with him even if the task bores me to tears.

He looks at me, surprised by my offer. "You don't have to."

"I know," I slip my hands into the back pockets of my jean shorts. "I just want to spend time with you."

"Fair enough," he wags his head to the shed. "You could get a shovel and help me dig some holes."

I nod my head once, "I think that I can handle that."

I walk to the shed, making my way a short distance inside to where my mom keeps the shovels that she uses to garden. She'd put them right by the door when we moved in and had refused let any of us move them to a different, less accessible place in the shed, saying that she was going to gardening again soon. Locating what I'm looking for, I lean down and grab one of the shovels that lays by the many bags Miracle Grow and start back to where Edward is already on his hands and knees digging in the dirt.

I set up shop next to him, going to work on my own section.

"So," Edward says after we've been working for a few minutes, eyeing me out of the corner of his eye.

"So," I repeat, wondering where he's going with this.

"Eighth grade formal is coming up," he comments, making me falter in my digging.

"You know about that?" I dig my shovel a little too aggressively into the ground.

"Emmett mentioned that he was taking Rose last night when we were playing video games."

"Oh."

"I was wondering why you hadn't."

I stop working, sitting up straight, rubbing my hands on my shorts, not caring that I'm leaving brown finger marks on the fabric. I look at him. He's stopped as well, looking at me with an expectant look in his eyes.

I shrug, "I don't know… it's just not that big of deal."

"It's basically middle school prom," his voice takes on a passionate edge. I hadn't expected that he would care this much about a stupid middle school dance.

"Lots of people and parties and dancing aren't my thing," I shrug again. "Besides, it's not like it's actually prom. Prom is a much bigger deal."

"So, you don't want to go?"

"I hadn't really considered it."

"Not even if I asked you?"

His question makes me stop. He wants to take me to the dance. He wants to be my date. I would be lying if I say that the thought of taking him, a high school guy, to my eighth-grade dance doesn't give me a certain amount of satisfaction. I will be walking in on his arm… and I can show him off.

"Are you… asking me?" I look at him, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, I am."

I look at him, my mouth opening and closing like I was a fish out of water, something that I haven't done since we'd first met.

"Okay." My voice is high and squeaky as I finally reply. He _wants_ to take me.

His full-blown crooked smile lights up his face as he gets all cocky again, "It's settled then."

"Fine, it's settled. But you're _not_ going to get me to dance." I hate dancing with a fiery passion, but I'm lying through my teeth by trying to pretend that he can't talk me into it. After all, he's just talked me into going to a dance that I hadn't planned on going to in the first place… and the fact that he has that cocky little smirk on his face right now just makes me pissed off… and it also makes me want to kiss him.

 _Ugh!_

We work well as a team, and within a few hours, it's all done. I hate to admit, but it does look nice. Curse my mom for being right!

"She will be so happy when she sees this." I admire the work we did, using the back of my arm to wipe the sweat off my forehead. I'm hot and in need of air conditioning, or a swim.

He stands there, his head bobbing up and down, looking at our accomplishment. "Good, I'm glad." His face is red, sweat running down the back of his neck. He looks like he feels miserable.

I eye the pool across the yard, the blue water is looking very inviting. "Want to go for a swim?"

"Yeah," he nods eagerly, ripping his shirt over his head. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" He cries, taking off across the yard. There are times that he really is just like a child.

I watch him dash across the yard and jump into the pool with his cargo shorts and old sneakers still on. I guess we aren't going to bother with bathing suits. It has been years since the last time that I went swimming still in my clothes, but at that moment I really don't care about what I'm wearing, I just want to cool off. I shake my head, laughing, kicking my shoes off before taking off across the yard, feeling the cool grass underneath my feet. When I get to the pool, I jump feet first into the water, the cool liquid enveloping me, instantly chilling my skin.

Edward swims over to me when I surface, moving my hair out of my face.

"You're still wearing your shoes." I comment, looking at his feet through the water.

"And you're a rotten egg." He struggles to get his water-logged shoes off his feet, throwing them across the grass, both end up several feet from one another. One of them landing by the red t-shirt that he had been wearing.

I roll my eyes at him. "What you did was totally unfair, you didn't give any warning before you just took off. No way am I a rotten egg."

"That's what people who lose say." He comments with a mischievous smile.

I gape at him, splashing him in the face with a tidal wave of water. "I am not a loser. Your game was rigged."

Edward uses both of his hands to wipe the water off his face. Before I know what hits me, a wave of water splashes across my face, catching me off guard, causing water to flood my mouth.

"You are so dead." My words come through clenched teeth, feigning anger.

"You're going to have to catch me first." He takes off across the water, using his long arms and legs to get a distance on me. This is one of those times that I hate that I'm short. There is no way that I'm going to be able to catch. He moves like lightening through the water.

I take off after him, kicking as hard as I can. There are a few times that I almost have him, but at the last minute he slips just out of reach. I sigh, frustrated, and come to a stop in the middle of the pool, out of breath.

"Okay, you win." I push hair out of my face, looking around for him, but can't see him. "Edward?" I ask, looking around, panic creeping over me with an icy shiver.

"Boo." He says right in my ear.

Beyond pissed, I turn, slapping him hard on the chest. "That was so mean. You scared the crap out of me." I complain, going in for another hit which he blocks it by grabbing my wrist.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

I lower my arm back into the water, still pissed. I start to move away, but he grabs my arm again.

"Bella, please, I'm sorry," he places a hand on my cheek, turning my head to look at him. "Please." He says again, his hand on my face burning me.

I sigh, unable to stay mad at him, I nod.

"I'm sorry I took it too far."

I sigh again, "It's okay. I forgive you," I look into his sorry filled eyes, "Let's not let it ruin the day, please." I don't want to let one tiny hick-up ruin the day. Besides, I'm the one that overreacted.

"I really am sorry."

"I know." I rise up on my tip toes and place a chaste kiss on his lips. I know that he's sorry and out of the moment it really isn't that big of a deal.

We float for a while, enjoying each other's company and talk. When we're both pruned, we get out of the water, making our way to the back door that leads into the kitchen.

"What happened to you two?" Mom asks when I open the door, goosebumps raising on my skin as the air conditioning hits my wet skin. She is taking the baked chicken that we are going to be having for dinner out of the oven.

"We… um… went for a swim." I give her a sheepish smile as we stand on the back patio, so we won't get water in the house.

She laughs, shaking her head as she leaves the room to get us towels.

Once, we are dry enough to step foot in the house, I run up the stairs and change into a pair of leggings and a tank top. Emmett gives Edward some basketball shorts to wear, and he just wears his still dry t-shirt.

Mom asks him to stay for dinner, which he accepts. It's not like the first time, or the second with the pizza incident, it's quiet and filled with normal, pleasant conversation. Edward sits next to him, holding my hand under the table.

After dinner, Emmett talks Edward into a rematch of the game that they had played the night before. Here's the thing about my brother, he hates to lose, nor can he ever admit defeat. I watch them from Dad's recliner as they battle it out, shouting insults at each other. It's highly amusing and the best entertainment ever. In the end, Emmett loses. Again.

"One of these days, I am going to kick your ass." My brother threatens Edward as he's getting ready to leave.

Edward just laughs, humoring him as Emmett makes his way up the stairs, muttering under his breath about "cheaters" and "getting him next time."

"You know, he's not going to give up until he wins." I comment as Emmett disappears up the stairs.

Edward laughs, "I know. One day I'll let him win… maybe." He smirks for what feels like the hundredth time today and it strikes me that he is much too confident for his own good.

"Well, see ya later." I comment, the familiar anticipation and the rapidness of my heartbeat overwhelming me as he starts to lean down to kiss me… but stops when my father not so subtly clears his throat.

I turn to glare at him. He's leaning against the doorway of the living room, freaking eating apple and pretending that he doesn't know what he's doing.

 _Smothering him with a pillow sounds really good right about now!_

When it becomes obvious that he isn't going to move, I turn back to Edward who tells me goodnight before slinking out the door and I find myself wishing that I could follow… because it's the only way that I won't kill my father.

"Really, dad?" I ask once the door is closed, my arms finding their way across my chest.

"What?" he asks, using the same puppy dog eyes that Emmett does when he tries to act all innocent. My father and brother are _so_ much alike that it sickens me.

I let out a disgusted sigh, "You know what!" I throw my hand in the direction of the door. "You interrupted our goodbye!" I accuse which he neither confirms or denies and it just makes me angrier. "Emmett sucks face with Rose in the house all the time and you don't do or say anything to him!"

"There's a very big difference between your son and your little girl."

My mouth is agape because the most sexist thing that I've ever heard just came out of my own father's mouth.

"In what world is that fair?" I cry, running up the stairs to my room, slamming the door behind me.

I throw myself on the bed, screaming into my pillow. It isn't fair. Emmett shouldn't get special treatment just because he's a boy! I should be able to kiss my boyfriend without my daddy standing over me the whole time!

When there's a knock at my door, I know who it is, and I groan, the sound muffled by my pillow because I still have my face shoved in it even though it is really hard to breathe.

"Can I come in?" Dad asks as he cracks open the door.

I lift my head off the pillow just enough so that I can be heard. "No."

He ignores me and comes in anyway, taking a seat on my bed. I bury my head further into my pillow because I really don't want to talk to him right now.

"I'm sorry," he pats my leg. "I shouldn't have done that."

I sigh, sitting up so I can look at him even though I'm still angry. "I know you don't like Edward."

He sighs, "I do like Edward. He's a great kid." He sighs again, "It's just hard seeing another guy important to your little girl."

"It would be kind of nice if when he's over here, you don't glare at him."

"Like I said, it's hard seeing another guy important to your little girl." He pats my leg again. "It's hard to think about you dating and kissing boys. It feels like just yesterday you were sitting in my lap rubbing my ear as you feel asleep." He gives me a slightly sad smile, "I really am sorry, Bella. The only thing that I can say is that I'll try to do better. I'll try not to glare at the nice, respectful boy that likes my daughter."

"The nice, respectful boy who planted flowers, so you wouldn't have to." I add with a smile, knowing how much he was despising that chore.

He laughs.

"That gets him some bonus points, right?"

"Yeah, that gets him some bonus points."


	13. Halo

13\. Halo

Remember those walls I built  
Well, baby, they're tumbling down  
And they didn't even put up a fight  
They didn't even make a sound

I found a way to let you win  
But I never really had a doubt  
Standing in the light of your halo  
I got my angel now

-Halo, Beyoncé

That night after Edward asked me to the dance, I hopped on the group chat and told the girls all about it. Jade said that she just _knew_ that it was going to happen, making me roll my eyes. My stomach did this fluttery thing every time that I remembered that he'd _wanted_ to take me. It wasn't something that I'd mentioned, that he'd begrudgingly agreed to, he'd gone out of his way to let me know that he _wanted_ to take me.

My excitement level over a dance that I'd originally thought was stupid, skyrocketed. Instead of internally groaning every time one of the girls mentioned the upcoming formal, I gushed with them.

I wince as my mom puts the final bobby pin in my hair. I've lost count how many she's been able to force in there, and I don't look forward to trying to fish them out at the end of the night.

"Mom, really?" I eye the hairspray that she's picked up, again, wondering how there was any left in the can. I'm pretty sure that she's going to be responsible for the next hole in the ozone. "More hairspray?"

She gives me 'mom' brow, "Do you want the curls to last all night?"

I sigh, as she sprays another ten pounds of the stuff in my hair, gagging as I inhale some of it.

"There," mom says, finally putting the hairspray back on her bathroom counter, "all done."

I look up at my reflection, my eyes going wide, because I look pretty… and like a grownup. Mom curled my hair, putting half of it up. The makeup that she's applied makes my brown eyes look even more brown. I look like a more sophisticated version of myself. Much more like myself than I did on Halloween. I feel like me, just more… teenager-y.

"Here," Mom turns my head to face hers, applying a small amount of lip gloss on my lips, "there. That's perfect." She smiles at her work, proud of the job that she's done. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, Mom." I smile at her.

"You picked a beautiful dress, Bella. It makes you look like a young lady."

My dress is a jewel toned teal with a ruched overlapping bust. The ruching along the waist, gave an illusion of a sash, a rhinestone accent in the center. The high-low skirt was flowy, almost looking like something that Marilyn Monroe would wear. I've paired it with rhinestone earrings and heels.

This is the moment that I hear my mom sniff and wipe at her eyes.

"Are you crying?" I asked, surprised.

She shakes her head, getting herself together. "You don't look like a kid anymore. You look like a teenager. It just hit me that you're going to be graduating middle school in a few weeks, then you'll be off to high school. It happened so fast. My babies are growing up, and I don't know how to handle that."

I turn, enveloping her in a hug, because I don't know what else to do. "You're not going to make me take an obnoxious number of pictures, are you?"

I hear her chuckle, "Of course, I am!"

I groan, even though I'm smiling.

Once, Mom and I make it downstairs, Emmett is already in the living room, wearing his suit that's usually reserved for the few times we go to church. Mom and Dad make us take a ton of pictures together. I try not to gag when we're asked to put our arms around each other, and to pretend like we like each other. The jerk pinches me, hard, on the back. I slap him hard on the back in retaliation, all while keeping a smile on my face.

Rose and her mom arrive shortly after our photo shoot. She looks gorgeous in her knee length dark purple, sparkly dress, her long hair flowing down her back. Then, it's another round of freaking pictures of her and Emmett together, then of me and her. By this point, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to go blind because of all the flashes.

A little before six, when the doorbell rings, my heart sputters, butterflies swarming my stomach as Dad answers the door.

Edward walks in, and my jaw almost hits the floor. He's wearing a black suit with no tie, and his hair in perfectly in place, most likely his mother's doing. He looks like he just stepped out of a movie.

"Oh, you look so handsome!" Mom gushes, taking a picture of him right there in the doorway, without any warning, and I want a hole to open up and suck me down.

"Mom!" I fuss, feeling my face heat. "At least let him come inside, first!"

As his eyes find mine, the irritation that I'm feeling slowly fades away as a slow smile spreads across his face, and I feel myself turn into a pile of goo but is anyone really surprised.

"You look beautiful," he looks at me like he's dazed, and I feel a little proud that I was able to make _him_ dazed for once.

I look bashfully down at my feet, "Thanks. You look like nice, too."

Mom proceeds to make us stand in front of the fireplace, so she can take an inordinate number of pictures. He's wearing more cologne than normal, and I want to drown in his scent.

"Can we be done yet? I kind of would like to get there before the dance ends," I groan out after what felt like the thousandth picture. I'm getting antsy, more than ready to get out of here.

She sighs, finally putting the camera down, "Fine."

Finally, we're able to get out of the house. Mom drove us, all four of piling into the backseat. The closer that we got to the school, the more nervous I get. I've never been to a dance before, and I don't really know how to dance. Not to mention, I'm wearing high heels for the first time in my life, and there's a fear that I'll fall on my butt in front of everyone, making a fool out of myself. I already tripped at least three times before I left the house…

The parking lot's full of cars, dropping students off. Claire and Alice are already standing on the sidewalk with their dates, Jared and Peter. Quil and Jasper are here, too. But they've decided to come stag. All the guys are wearing the equivalent to what Edward is. Some have chosen not to skip the tie, though. All the girls are wearing pretty dresses with their hair and makeup done. The entire eighth grade class has done a one-eighty from the jeans and t-shirts that they'd been wearing when they left school earlier in the day.

Mom comes to a stop, so we can get out and I take a deep breath, Emmett opening the door to the back.

As I follow behind Rose to get out of the car, I trip on my own feet. If it isn't for Edward's stabilizing hand that comes around the top of my arm, I would've fallen face first onto the asphalt. My face heats, and it doesn't help that some of the people that saw, start to laugh quietly to themselves.

"You okay?" Edward's voice is laced with concern, no ounce of amusement on his face.

I nod, running my hands over myself to make sure that everything is still in place. "I'm fine. Embarrassed, but I'm fine."

"Shall we?" he offers me his hand, which I gladly except.

As we make our way over to the rest of the group, one of my heels catches on the concrete, causing me to stumble. Again. When Mom suggested that I wear flats, I glared at her, telling her that I can handle wearing heels. After all, they aren't tall, maybe an inch and a half. Not too bad. Except, they kept trying to kill me.

 _I'm sure that I am going to have a concussion before the night is over!_

"Oh, you look so pretty!" Alice gushes, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she claps her hands. She and Claire are wearing identical dresses. They're sweetheart, spaghetti strapped, with a touch of glitter, which seemed to be the theme. Except, Alice's was bright, almost highlighter, pink. Claire's was white. I'm surprised Alice hadn't made her own dress for the occasion.

"You, too."

"So," Jasper starts, "is anyone going to explain to me why they made Monte Carlo the theme of a dance for fourteen-year-old's? We can't even gamble."

The theme really didn't make sense. When they announced it, I originally thought that they'd been joking. It doesn't make sense.

"It is kind of random," Quil agrees, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

When the administration came out and announces that we can finally enter the cafeteria, where the dance is being held, there's a mass stampede.

The tables have been folded up and moved to one side of the room, creating a dance floor. There's a table full of snacks and drinks by the entrance. The main lights are off and decorations, that you can easily find at Dollar Tree, hanging from the ceiling and tapped to the walls. But there is a DJ, which I hadn't been expecting. To be honest, I thought the night was going to be filled with the chaperones playing CDs of songs that they thought were popular, but really weren't.

At first, I don't notice the eyes of every girl on me and Edward. When I do notice, I think they're staring because something's wrong with my hair, or my dress. It takes me a minute to figure out that they're staring at my date… because they've never seen him before.

"All the girls are staring at you," I whisper to him, watching him blush.

"No, they're not," his eyes dart uncomfortably around, and I half expect him to rock back on heels, which seems to be the thing that he does when he's feeling uneasy.

I snicker. When we're at my house, he's confident and cocky, but around other people, he's like me. Shy, awkward, and like he very much wants to be the color of the walls.

"What?" his wild eyes meet mine.

I shrug a shoulder, "It's just nice to know that you're human every once and a while."

He bends down and kisses me on the cheek, causing me to blush. And for about half of the girls to whisper to each other.

The night is filled with loud music and lots of fourteen-year-old's that think they can dance, but mainly just shuffle around the dance floor pretending to have rhythm. Edward, like I predicted, was able to talk me into dancing. It wasn't too bad. I only step on his feet once… okay, five times. Or more.

Some of the girls, come up to us, introducing themselves to him, which he deflects. It's kind of satisfying to see Lauren's snotty face drop when he says that he's my boyfriend.

I think that I'm in the clear, when the night's almost over, and they haven't played a slow song. But, when Beyoncé's Halo starts to play through the speakers, I know that my luck has run out.

All the other couples around us, including Alice and Peter, and Claire and Jared, were snuggled up against each other, rocking back and forth. I stand here frozen.

"Why don't we take a break?" I offer, weakly.

Edward lifts a brow at me, "Don't you want to dance with me?" he offers me his hand.

"I've never slow danced."

"Neither have I."

"But… I stepped on your foot, and that wasn't even when we slow dancing. Imagine how much damage I could do if we're closer together?"

He snickers, "Come on, I can ice my feet later."

I eye his hand, taking it tentatively, letting him pull me to him.

"You put your hands here," he places them on his shoulders. "and I put mine here," his come to rest at my waist. "See, not so bad."

"Not so bad," I mumble, my eyes meeting his soft green ones. I feel something bubbling up in my chest that I can't name, seeing him look at me like that.

I find myself relaxing into his hold, letting the lyrics of the song wash over me. The more I listen, the more it seems like the song was written for us. Especially when she sings about walls crumbling down. I burrow myself into his chest, my head resting on his shoulder.

I'm really happy that he talked me into coming tonight.

When the night's over, I'm carrying my heels in my hand, my feet aching and blistered, but it was totally worth it. Edward's holding my hand as we make our way to the car. Rose and Emmett are already inside, her head resting on his shoulder.

I don't even try to stifle the cheek splitting grin when Edward's arm comes around my shoulders, pulling me snugly into his side.

We drop Rose off at her house, since it's on the way. My brother plays the part of the perfect gentleman, walking her to her door and kissing her quickly, before making his way, shyly back to the car. It's weird for me to see my brother shy, and very clearly smitten.

"Thank you for talking me into going tonight," I comment as Edward walks me to the door.

"My pleasure," he smiles crookedly at me, coming into kiss me.

"Ew!" Emmett cries as he bounds up the stairs after us, "that is so gross!"

I glare at him when we part. Mom's nice enough to lag behind, giving us a minute to say goodnight. "Shut up!" I shove him in the chest, causing him to lose his breath. I turn back to Edward, all smiles, like I didn't just slug my brother in the gut. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he walks slowly down the stairs, saying a polite, quiet goodnight to Mom as she comes up the stairs.

Dad's sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV when we walk in.

"Have fun?" he calls.

"Yeah," Emmett calls back, bounding up the stairs.

"It was fun," I add, biting my lip as the cheek splitting grin makes its reappearance. I feel like I'm floating as I make my way to my room.


	14. No Air

14\. No Air

Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?  
Can't live, can't breathe with no air  
That's how I feel whenever you ain't there  
There's no air, no air  
Got me out here in the water so deep  
Tell me how you gon' be without me?  
If you ain't here I just can't breathe  
There's no air, no air  
No air air, No air air

\- No Air, Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown

A few weeks later, the entire eighth grade class is seated in the gym. It's the day before the last day, which also the day before we all graduate. We've all been put in seats in the order that we will be called for our certificates. This shouldn't be so bad, except my last name, and James's last names, put us right next to each other. We're both going out of our way to not look at one another other; even though, we're both sneaking looks to see if the other is as uncomfortable. It's even more awkward when we glance over at the same time and our eyes meet. I want nothing more than for this to be over. I feel like I'm being tortured!

"Students!" our principal, Ms. Denali, called into the microphone from where she was standing in front of us at a podium. She and the rest of the administration and teachers were trying to get us through a practice run for the ceremony tomorrow. Part of me felt bad for them, because none of us were listening. There were a few of my fellow classmates that were flying paper airplanes. One of which, went into Ms. Denali's hair. "Settle down! We need to get through this. The faster we do, the sooner you can clean out your lockers." she says this without missing a beat. She doesn't even say anything about the paper airplane that's landed in her hair, she just bats it out, causing it to fall to the floor. There are a few snickers from the boys behind me that had been the culprits.

As soon as she says something about emptying lockers, there is a momentary hush, long enough for her to explain that we'll come up in our rows to get our certificates. Before she's completely done, the roar starts, as students start to whisper to one another. My eyes meet Quil's momentarily from where he sits a row, and several seats from me. I know it's a mistake immediately, when he makes a funny face and I snort loudly, causing some of the girls and guys around me to stare, some of them laughing at me.

 _Great, just what I needed. The universe didn't think that sitting next to my ex was enough, I had to snort, too?_

I slid down in my chair, wishing that the principal would finish, so we can actually practice, before I do something else that makes me feel like I want to die.

"I think that's it!" Ms. Denali speaks loudly into the mic, so she can be heard over the students chatter. Clearly, she's given up on trying to keep us quiet. "We're going to start with the first row. You're going to go out from the right side. Once you get your certificate, you may sit down again!"

Claire leans forward from where she's sitting behind me, "I'm _so_ bored!" she whispers. "Can it be over, yet?"

"I wish." I reply back. At least she wasn't sitting next to her ex-boyfriend who might be giving her evil eye every once in a while.

When it's our rows turn, we stand and start making our out. It's going great, until I reach the end of the row, my foot getting caught on one of the chairs, causing me to trip... and collide with James's back.

My face turns tomato red as I get my balance again. He sneers at me from over his shoulder, and I swear that there are actual flames coming from my face. "Sorry."

 _Universe 3. Bella 0._ _Do they sell coffins in bulk? Because I am going to need at least three of them for the amount of humiliation that I'm feeling._

Thankfully, I get through the rest of the ordeal without making an ass of myself, able to preserve what little is left of my pride. Which, being fourteen, wasn't much to begin with.

"Good enough," Ms. Denali says, sounding just as ready as we are for this to be over. I think that if she could give us all our certificates now, she would. "You're dismissed!"

There is a collective hoot from us all, as we hurry out of the gym.

A few girls that I was on the cheerleading squad with, come up to me and ask me to sign their yearbooks, which I gladly do. We may not have been close, but they'd always been nice to me.

I mentally prepare myself for the task of empty out my locker... because it is a mess. It actually looks like a bomb went off inside. I have tons of pictures of my friends, even some of me and Edward taped inside. Not to mention, all of the crap that I've just thrown inside. I have crumpled up pieces of notebook paper, a bow that I wore when I was cheering, and just lots and lots of trash. I swear I fill up half the trashcan that's been set out in hall closest to my locker, trying not be embarrassed when I shove the pile of trash down in the overly full trashcan. My backpack at my feet is filled to capacity.

Rose finds me before I'm finished.

"I can't believe we're graduating tomorrow!" Rose squeals, clutching her yearbook, that I just signed, to her chest. All the eighth graders are clearing out their lockers, because once we leave here today, we won't be back in them. Tomorrow, the only thing that we have to do is come in, sit through a ceremony in the overly hot gym, and get our certificate. It was exciting. Like the end of an era.

"I know!" I close my locker for the final time, thinking about how much has changed since the beginning of the year. Like, how I was majorly crushing on James, writing his name in little hearts on all my papers, hoping that he'd ask me to be his girlfriend. I hadn't even met Edward yet. Now, I can't imagine going back.

"Hey," Claire bounds over to us, smiling brightly. "neither of you have signed my yearbook yet!" she hands it over to us, giving us a pen.

"Oh my gosh!" I cry when I open it up the last page. "Quil wrote something nice!" I couldn't take my eyes off the simple sentence: You're an awesome friend. He had even included a smiley face!

"Ha!" Rose snorts, covering her mouth. She can't believe it either. "It's official, he's never living this down!"

Claire rolls her eyes, "I think that he was feeling nostalgic. He said something about us maybe never seeing each other again."

"We're all going to the same high school." There had been a lot of anxiety over whether all of us would end up going to Green Hope together when they had handed out the envelops in home room. We all anxiously ripped them open, sighing in relief when they all said the same thing.

"Yeah, I know." Claire huffs, "Will you just sign it, please?"

Rose and I both write heart felt messages about how we appreciated her friendship and that we couldn't wait to go to high school together and how much fun we were going to have.

"Thank you!" she eagerly takes the book from us, starting to walk away. "I have to get Alice's signature!" she disappeared into the crowd of students that were hugging and telling each other how much they were going to miss one another over the summer.

I pick my backpack off the floor, groaning at the weight, slinging it over my shoulder, amazed at how much stuff I was able to cram into such a small space.

"Are you excited about that art camp?" Rose asks as we start to make our way through the crowd of students, stopping to sign a couple of yearbooks along the way.

"Yeah," I beam. My parents had come to me a week or so ago, telling me about this two-week camp in Greensboro. I had never been to camp before, and it excited me that I would be surrounded by people that had the same interests, being taught by people that were as into art as I was. I couldn't not go. When I had told Edward about it, he had been just as excited as I was.

"What am I going to do without you for two weeks?" Rose dramatically wrapped her arms around me, crushing me into her side.

"I think you'll manage." I puffed out, finding it hard to get air into my lungs because of how hard she's hugging me.

I took in a deep breath when she finally let me go. "You _and_ Emmett are going to be gone. It's never been both of you at the same time before."

Emmett was going to baseball camp, like he had last summer. He hadn't been able to stop talking about it, and I really wished he would, or I was going to shove his face into a pillow and suffocate him.

"Well, if it helps, I'll miss you, too." I offered, pushing her lightly in the shoulder.

She laughs, opening the door to the eighth-grade building. This was one of the last times that we would be walking through these doors. It was an exciting thought, if not a just a little scary.

"See you tomorrow!" I call to her, opening the door the front seat.

"'Bye!" Rose calls back with a wave, going over to her mom's car.

When I get home, my backpack is banished to the back of my closet, where I will ignore its existance for the next three months. I log onto Facebook, and the girls and I part take in our Facebook chat, something that we haven't done in a while. We're all talking about how excited we are for high school and finally being free of middle school.

As I'm lying in bed that night, I can't sleep, I'm too keyed up. The white dress that I am planning on wearing, is hanging on the back of my door. Tomorrow, I was officially going to be a high school freshman. It didn't hurt that that also meant that I was going to be going to the same school as my boyfriend. Every time that I closed my eyes, I saw us holding hands in the hallway and eating lunch together and going to homecoming, even though I thought that it was corny. I couldn't wait! Everything was about to change, I could feel it.

I wake up before my alarm, a text from Edward on my phone: Thinking of you. I couldn't help but smile as I got out of bed, going through my morning routine. I take my time getting ready, wanting to look nice.

I straighten my hair, pulling half of it back, like Mom did for the formal. I also put on a little mascara and lip gloss, trying to make myself feel more like the teenager I am, than the kid I felt like yesterday.

When I get downstairs, Mom and Dad are in the kitchen, both of them dressed in their nice clothes. Mom is wearing a turquoise sun dress and Dad is wearing a gray suit. They're leaning against the counter, with cups of coffee in their hands. Well, in Dad's case, tea.

"'Morning!" I have the biggest smile on my face, going over to the coffeepot and pouring myself a cup.

Dad chokes on his tea, probably shocked that I am up and dressed early, for the first time in my life. "Someone is chipper this morning."

"I might be a little excited."

"No!" Dad says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes at him, nothing he could say, could bring me down this morning. I'm on a cloud.

Emmett makes his appearance not much later. He's wearing a white button down and black slacks. He mumbles what I think was supposed to be a 'good morning,' obviously, he isn't all the way awake.

Dad force feeds us a breakfast of eggs and toast, but we're both too excited to eat. I nibble on the eggs, eyeing the clock. We have plenty of time, but I'm looking at it anyway.

When Mom says that it's time to go, Emmett and I both practically run to the door.

"Wait!" Mom says when Emmett's hand lands on the door knob. "You're not getting out of here that easy. I need a picture first."

Emmett and I both groan as she pulls out her camera, telling us to pose. We stand there, our arms around the other, so close to freedom, yet so far. Neither one of us is smiling, because we're still scarred from the abundance of photos that she took the night of the formal.

"If you smile, we can leave." She coaxes, looking at us through her camera.

We give her the biggest smiles of our lives, before clamoring out the door, not even stopping to see if it was a good one.

All the teachers corral us in the hallway, putting us in alphabetical order, before we walk into the gym. We're all talking and laughing. I feel an overwhelming amount of giddiness and excitement as we start to walk into the gym.

The ceremony isn't very long. Ms. Denali gives the typical graduation speak. You know the one, where they talk about how you're growing up and starting a new chapter, and how our parents can't believe this day has come. All of the mushy crap that makes mom's cry. As I walk up to get my certificate, I can't help the grin that breaks out on my face. I am officially graduated!

We didn't have caps and gowns, so when Ms. Denali announced us as the West Cary Middle School Class of 2010, we all hooted and hollered, and I think that Emmett had an aneurism... because he hugged me... which was weird... and something that I didn't think that I ever wanted to experience again.

My friends and I meet outside the gym afterwards. Due to our last names, we were separated. Rose and Emmett shared a quick kiss which made me dry heave. That was something that I would never get used to.

"We did it!" Alice squealed, taking Claire and I into a bone crushing group hug.

The guys share their mandatory fist bump, Jasper and Quil loosen the ties that they had been made to wear.

"It feels weird," Rose comments, holding hands with my brother.

"I know," Claire agrees, "We're going to... high school." she says this like she can't believe it. It is strange to think about not coming here every day. We were leaving this small place, to go to a three-story school with over two thousand students. It was scary, nerve wracking, and exciting all at once.

"At least we're stuck with each other for the next four years!" Quil slings his arm around her, making her roll her eyes and shove his arm off her.

Mom, of course, when she catches up with us, makes all take pictures. Once she starts, the other moms come over to take our picture. For a minute, I actually think that my face is going to freeze in a permanent smile, my cheeks actually _hurt_.

"Alice!" her mom calls, walking to the door. "Let's go!"

She groans, "Yay, I have to go eat lunch with my grandparents, and I get to hear all about their aliments and doctor's appointments." She starts to walk toward her mother, calling over her shoulder, "See you later at your house!"

We were all going to be getting together at my house later for a pool party, after all the mandatory family plans were finished.

Our parents take us to the restaurant for lunch. They've been looking at possible new locations near the Outer Banks and spend some of the time that we are there, going over things with Carlisle.

When we finally get back to our house, Dad sets about blowing up the pool floats and toys that we had gotten at Wal-Mart the day before.

"I told you to get the automated pump," Mom rolls her eyes at dad, who is huffing and puffing as he tries to blow up a silver raft on his own. He's been at for several minutes and had barely inflated a corner, much less the whole thing.

He glares at her, still puffing. "I got it!" He's stubborn as a mule and won't ever admit that he was wrong about something or ask for help. Such a typical male.

"Well," she digs in one of the bags that she was pulling snacks and drinks out of, "I bought one." She sets it on the patio next to him.

He gives her a look, "I love you, but I hate you."

Dad continues as he was, until he turns purple, and finally takes the thing out of the box. The process goes much more quickly.

Our friends start to trickle in a little after one. There are so many floats and toys in the pool that we can barely move, but it makes for an epic game of Marco Polo.

"You're cheating!" Claire accuses Quil when he's it. "You had your eyes open!"

"I did not!" he defends himself, even though he did. But, there is no way that he would admit it to her.

The rest of us watch as they argue for a good two minutes about whether her being it is legit or not. Eventually, she gets so annoyed, that she climbs on his back, trying to dunk him under the water.

"Go down!" Claire grunts, both of her hands-on top of his head. See, she's a tiny speck of a human, and he's well, not. She's pushing with all her might, which doesn't move him an inch, all she accomplishes, is getting herself pissed off. "Come on!"

He makes the mistake of laughing at her.

She released him, shoving him hard in the back. "You're such a butt!"

Quil doesn't know what's good for him, or when to stop, so when Claire's back is turned, he pushes a wave of water at her. I don't know how it happens, but soon we're all roped into their water war, laughing and yelling at each other.

I turn my head and gag when Emmett nails me in the mouth, some of the chlorine flavored water goes down my throat. My hand grips the side of the pool while I cough uncontrollably.

"Hey," Edward's amused voice comes from over me, and I look up to see him staring at me, smiling. He's wearing red swim trunks and white undershirt. The towel under his arm looks fluffy and very expensive, unlike my family's Target towels. "Am I late?"

I climb out of the pool to greet him properly, "No, we've been out of school since, like, eleven-thirty."

"Looks like you've been having fun," he runs his finger along the top of my cheek. "and a little sunburnt."

I touch the top of my cheek, feeling the familiar hot, stinging sensation of a sunburn on my cheeks. I also try not to think about how many new freckles I was going to have tomorrow. I swear they're the Devil's spawn. "Maybe a little."

There is something about his demeanor that is off. He seems more subdued and withdrawn into himself more than usual. He keeps rocking back on his heels like he's uncomfortable, and he keeps looking everywhere but at me. A weird not forms in the pit of my stomach, and I want to know what is up with him, but I am also too scared to ask.

So, instead, I ask: "We're were talking about playing pool volleyball, we could use you to even out the teams if you want to play?"

He smiles crookedly at me, and for a second, I get a glimpse of the Edward that I am used to seeing. "Sure." He takes his shirt off, leaving it and the towel, on the ground beside the pool. His eyes meet mine, a mischievous look in them, and before I can say anything, he jumps into the water, taking me with him.

We spend the rest of the afternoon, and early evening, in the water playing games of chicken and Marco Polo. The guys all take turns doing cannonballs to see who make the biggest splash, but really, I think that they're doing it to annoy the girls.

Dad fires up the grill and cooks hot dogs and burgers. We all eat on the patio furniture, talking about how happy we are that it's summer vacation and everything that we're doing this summer. Emmett and I are the only one's going to camp, the rest are staying at home. Alice does have a day camp that she's going to in Durham for fashion design that she's pumped for.

Edward doesn't really get into the conversation, he mostly sits there listening to the others. It's starting to make me nervous, and I want to ask _so_ bad, but stop myself because I don't know if he wants to talk about it.

It's around nine when our friends start to leave. Emmett said he was going to walk Rose home, mostly so that they can suck face in private. Soon, it's just me and Edward standing awkwardly in my foyer, much like we had that day I slammed the door in his face.

"So," I finally say because he's not talking and one of us needs to or I am going to explode.

"There's something that I need to tell you." He takes my hand and leads me to the couch, my heart hammering in my chest, and I find myself wondering if he can feel how much my hand is sweating.

"What's up?" I eye him warily. He's rubbing his free hand on his red swim trunks, the other is still holding mine, and it feels like it's getting tighter.

"I got a call from my dad today."

"What about?" I try to sound nonchalant, which is hard when my heart plummets into my stomach and my hands start to shake.

He takes a deep breath, "He wants me to come stay with."

"For how long?" I ask even though I know the answer, because there is really only one.

"At least for the summer," he turns to face me completely, looking at me with a desperate expression, his green eyes filled with sadness. "I tried to get out of it, I did. I tried everything that I could think of. But, he had already bought the ticket. I have to leave in three days and I didn't even get a say. My mom and dad just sprung it on me." His eyes are pleading with me to understand, telling me that he really doesn't want to go, but he has no choice.

 _Three days… at least for the summer… at least… at least…_

I was devasted. He was leaving, and his return date wasn't set in stone.

I wanted to scream and cry, it wasn't fair.

But, him not seeing his dad was even more unfair. Crying and telling him how unfair wasn't going to help matters. It wasn't like we had a say anyway. The decision had been made.

"He's your dad, Edward. You've missed him." He didn't talk about his father much, but when he did, he got this look of longing on his face. Just like I couldn't not go to art camp, he couldn't not go see his father, even if he did have a choice.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." His jaw clenched, like he was trying not to cry.

"I understand." And I did. He was his father, of course he'd want to see his son.

"What about us?" he next question seemed the obvious one, and it made my heart clench. We were so young, and we were going to be apart for at least the summer. A lot can change in three months.

 _At least…_ those words haunted me.

I shrug, "We see when you get back I guess."

He takes me into a hug, something that he had never done before, and I bury my face in his neck, trying not to cry. The last thing he needed was for me to get tears and snot all over his shirt.

Over the next three days, we spend as much time together as we can. And Emmett and I are there to see him off. It crushed me watching his mom and Carlisle drive off to take him to the airport. For once, Emmett doesn't make a disgusted face as he puts his arm on my shoulder when I start to cry. He doesn't say anything, he just holds me as we start to walk home.

And I find myself counting down the days until the end of the summer.

 _At least…_


	15. Not Over You

**A/N: I didn't mean to go this long without posting. I got a new job. The opportunity fell in my lap by way of my old job, which I'm still working at a few nights a week. My schedule was crazy for a while there, I just didn't have the energy to do anything. Sorry I was gone so long.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **This is a re-post. I put up the wrong version with the wrong names. Thank you to the person who let me know.**

Part II

(2012-2013)

14\. Not Over You

If you ask me how I'm doin'  
I would say I'm doin' just fine  
I would lie and say that you're not on my mind  
But I go out  
And I sit down  
At a table set for two  
And finally I'm forced to face the truth  
No matter what I say  
I'm, not over you

\- Not Over You, Gavin DeGraw

At first, Edward and I talked daily. Well, except for those two weeks that I was at art camp. Everything was great. He was happy to be out there with his dad and connecting with some of his old friends. I'd never heard him sound so happy before, so when the end of the summer was nearing, I wasn't shocked that he told me that he'd decided to stay in California for the school year. Just because I wasn't shocked, didn't mean that I hadn't been sad, nor did it mean that I hadn't cried and thrown things around my room for an hour after that phone call.

The only thing that I knew for sure, was that I didn't want to be like his friends that acted like they stopped giving a shit about him the second he left. I'd promised him that I'd make up for all the sucky ones, and that's what I was going to do. But there was one thing that I hadn't taken into consideration. Life.

Once the school year started, our daily talks turned into every few days, which went to once a week, which went to once a month, until it was… nothing. It had just happened organically without either of us thinking about it. After we hadn't talked for a while, there'd been a few times that I'd started to text him but had chickened. I was afraid that he'd tell me that he didn't want to talk to me because he'd found something better. That he'd found better friends. I didn't know how I'd handle that.

So, our phones calls and texts dissolved into the occasional like on Facebook posts. When I posted at the beginning of Sophomore year that I'd made the varsity squad, he'd left a smiley face. I spent a week obsessing over what that meant. Like maybe he wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to talk to him but was as insecure and scared as I was about it. I could've also just been overthinking the whole thing.

I wasn't surprised that he hadn't come back. North Carolina didn't hold a candle to California. I wouldn't come back if I had the chance to go. He was there with his dad, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. I didn't blame him, and I wasn't mad. At least not anymore.

Over the last year and a half, I did more than just pine. I went to that art camp two summers in a row and planned on going back this coming summer as a counselor. My art has become even more important to me than it was before. I'd thrown myself into it, it was a way that I could get everything that I was feeling out, without having to use words. I was much more confident on a canvas than I was speaking. I've entered a few competitions and won some awards. My art teacher at school says that I have raw, natural talent that she hasn't seen in quite some time. She even has a pipe dream of me being able to get into the Rhode Island School of Design. But I doubt it. I'm not _that_ good.

While I've been growing and excelling in my art, I haven't socially. Don't get me wrong, my friends and I are still incredibly close, it's just while they were dating, I wasn't. Me and dating weren't exactly used in the same sentence. It's not that I don't want a relationship, I do. I want someone to hold my hand and kiss me and be with me in that way, it's just no one's asked me. Not that I was really putting myself out there, because I was still carrying a torch. A big, fat flaming torch the size of Texas that I can send smoke signals out with. No one had caught my eye. Except one person.

Jacob Black is the captain of the varsity football team. He has perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth, designer clothes, and muscles that put my brothers to shame. He's the guy that made the entire female population of Green Hope salivate. He's a senior, two grades ahead of me. Being on the varsity squad, I've cheered at his games. We talked some, just passing conversation. Like most of the other girls in school, I'd had a crush on him for months. So, Friday afternoon, when he asked me out for Saturday night, I was thrilled. I probably built the whole thing up in my head a little too much, because I set myself up for _massive_ disappointment.

Which brings me to where I am now, on Rose's bed with a pillow shoved over my face as I recount my awful, awful date to her. Trying not to die from the utter humiliation.

"It was awful!" I groan into the pillow that I'm using to cover my face. "It was the worst date of my life!"

Rose giggles, "I figured it was bad when you started texting us." I throw the pillow back on her bed, looking over to where she's sitting in her desk chair, her foot propped on the bed while she paints her toes a bright red.

Rose's changed a lot over the last several months. She and my brother broke up before the start of our freshman year. I wasn't that surprised; they'd grown apart over that summer. Emmett had gone to camp and she had gone to stay with her grandparents. A few months ago, she started dating a new guy, Royce. He's the typical guy that thinks his poop doesn't stink and is a self-proclaimed bad boy. She's kind of been rebelling a little bit. Her parents are having problems, fighting all the time. As a result, she's chopped off all her hair, it now hangs just above her shoulders with pink streaks in it. She's also taken to wearing a ton of black eyeliner to the point that she could have been part of the ninety's grunge scene. All her clothes have become varying colors of white, black, and grey and much more revealing than they used to be. I'm worried about her, but I'm not sure how I can help her.

"All he did was talk about himself… all night." It started the second that we'd gotten in the car. I now knew that he worked out two hours a day, had three protein shakes every day, and could bench press two hundred pounds. I now knew way more about him than I ever wanted to know. "I accidently made the mistake of touching his precious car. He actually had the audacity to wipe it off with his shirt to make sure that I didn't leave any prints." I huff, pushing my side swept bangs behind my ear. I'm still cursing Alice for encouraging me to do this to my hair. They've been a pain in the ass the entire time, and I can't wait for them to grow out. "My hopes were so high."

Like I said, I may have built it up a little too much in my head. I imagined us going on a romantic date and having a good time while we got to know each other. Instead, what I got was Buffalo Wild Wings and a date that was more absorbed in the football game that they had playing, than me. I'd been on that date by myself. The only good thing that came out of it was the free meal.

"When he dropped me off, he kissed me. Kissed me!" I cringe when I recount this part. If it were possible to delete any part of that night from my memory, it would be that. "His tongue was like a dead fish in my mouth!" I have to give Jacob credit when it comes to timing. When I'd turned to undo my seatbelt, he'd swooped in before I even knew what was happening… and proceeded to give me the most disgusting kiss of my life. There's no way that I'm ever going to be able to look him in the eye again!

Rose snorts, putting the top back on the nail polish. "Oh my God!"

"How am I going to see him face to face, much less across the hall." I'm actually contemplating if a plastic surgeon can make me look like a completely different person by Monday. He thought that it had gone so well. He's texted me several times already today, but I can't bring myself to answer them. I'm not sure how I'm going to let him down. I've never done that before. "I'm never dating again."

"Aren't we a little dramatic?" she uses a patronizing tone with me. She obviously doesn't understand the ordeal that I went through. I can't stomach the thought of another date that awful. I would rather become a nun. "Not every date you go on is going to be good."

I sit up on the bed, so she can see how hard I'm rolling my eyes at her.

"I think that you're spoiled."

"What?" I lift a brow at her, unable to understand what she means.

She comes and sits on the bed next to me, careful to make sure not to mess up the job that she did on her toes. "Your last boyfriend was a great guy that treated you like you walked on water," her mentioning Edward makes my heart clench. I'm not over him. He's the person that I compare every other guy to, and none of them stand a chance next to him.

 _Wow, could I be filled with anymore teenage angst?_

"Not every guy is going to be like Edward. It's unrealistic to expect them to be."

I sigh because she's right, and I hate her for it. I do expect every guy to be like him, sabotaging any relationship that could've been. I find myself suddenly wondering if my date with Jacob was as awful as I think it was, or if it just doesn't compare with something else that I have stuck in my head.

"You're right!" I dramatically fling myself back on the bed, making her laugh.

She lays down beside me and we fall into a comfortable silence.

"I still miss him," I whisper after a beat of silence. The way that we left things so open ended is still messing with my head, and the main reason that I hold myself back. While I want a relationship, it isn't with the guy that I want it to be.

 _Did I mention that I was still carrying a Texas sized torch?_

"I know," she turns her head to look at me. "but you can't let a what if hold you back."

My phones buzzes with an incoming text, causing me to growl in frustration.

Rose laughs as I take my phone out of my back pocket, "Is it Jacob again? He's got it so bad."

I shake my head, lying back on the bed as I pocket my phone again. "It's not Jacob. I've been getting 'hello' texts from a weird number the past couple of days."

"Ooh, someone has a secret admirer. Or a stalker."

"That's comforting," I joke hitting in the face with a pillow. "It's not even a local number."

"Still it could happen," she says, putting the pillow I just used to club her under her head.

We fall into another silence, which is only broken by the sound of her sister coming home.

I stay at Rose's for another hour, Kate hanging out with us. Rose and Kate ended up getting super close again once we started high school. I think Kate got through her 'little sisters aren't cool' phase. I also think that their parent's marital problems also helped bring them closer. She also finds it hilarious when Rose tells her about my date. She and Jacob are in the same grade, and she knows all about his… flaws… as she puts it. She then proceeds to tell me that she wouldn't go with him for a million dollars. Which makes me feel so much better.

On my walk home, I pull my coat tighter around me. The sun is starting to set, making this January day even colder than it had been. I could see my breath and my nose is so cold that it feels like it's going to fall off.

As I get closer to my house, I can see my brother outside playing basketball with one of his friends, as usual. I'm about to call out a snarky remark when I get a good look at the other person in our driveway. My heart sinks and there's a loud roaring in my ears. My entire body feels numb and I no longer have control over it.

Holy shit. Edward.

I really should be paying more attention to where I'm going, instead of the guy standing in my driveway laughing with Emmett, because my feet become a tangled mess and before I can register what's happening, I trip over the curb, face planting into the strip of grass next to the sidewalk.

 _I really know how to make a second first impression!_

Gingerly, I get up, making sure that nothing is broken or bleeding, and that I don't have a concussion. I'm also _covered_ in grass and mulch. The tiny pieces of bark have embedded themselves in my white sweater and I have grass stains on my jeans.

 _Only I would be capable of doing this…_

"Bella, are you okay?" I can hear his voice of the roaring in my ears and my unfocused eyes finally find a pair of navy-blue ones. Edward is standing right in front of me… and I have made an ass of myself. But who didn't expect that?

I start to wipe the bits of grass off my sweater, "I'm fine." _Freaking out, but I'm fine._

His playful blue eyes meet mine, and there's a small smirk on his face, "Falling for me already, Nugget?"

Nugget? He had to call me Nugget. And why does that stupid nickname coming out of his mouth make me melt?

I look at him a little dumbfounded as his fingers run through a few strands of my hair, pulling back a blade of grass.

"You had this stuck in your hair," He gives me his full-blown smirk.

The time away has been good to him. He's taller, not quite so gangling as he had been a year and a half ago. Where my hair has gotten longer, his has gotten shorter, and it's actually tamed and styled. He's wearing a well-worn Lakers sweatshirt and jeans. He looks good. And my heart clenches at the sight of him, just like it did when I was fourteen years old.

Except, I'm not fourteen anymore. I'm older, he's older. And I have no idea who he is anymore.

"Uh huh," I nod still suffering from whiplash. Less than an hour ago I was complaining to Rose about my awful date with Jacob, and now the very person that I'd been trying to get over is in front of me. "You're in my yard," I shake my head at the idiocy that just came out of my mouth. "I mean… hi." I stammer while trying to put myself back together, like making sure there's not any more grass in my hair as I shove it behind my ears.

 _What the hell is going on?_

I'm standing here trying not to get my hopes up. Just because he's standing here, in my yard, as I so eloquently put, it doesn't necessarily mean that he's back. But it's really hard for me to listen to the logical part of my brain when he's looking at me with that stupid little smirk on his face, because I'm falling all over myself, and he's always enjoyed watching me squirm. I thought that at sixteen I'd be a little less awkward, but I guess that's too much for me to ask for.

We lapse into a slightly pain, slightly awkward silence as we stand here looking at each other. He rocks back on his heels, his hands going into the pockets of his sweatshirt. The sweatshirt that I gave him.

"I tried texting you," he finally blurts, his cheeks turning pink.

"That was you?" I think back to all the messages that I ignored. "You changed your number."

He rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks turning pinker. "Yeah. I didn't think about that."

"So, were texting me to tell me that you were coming for a visit?" I'm so fishing right now, but I don't care. I want, need, to know if he's back for good or not.

"I moved back." His eyes pin mine like he's trying to read my reaction.

"Oh. So, I guess that means you'll be around then."

He tries to fight the small crooked smile that wants to grace his face. "Yeah, I'll be around."

"Good," I reply coolly even though I'm fighting a smile, too.

"Hey, Edward, are we going to play or are you going to continue to drool over my sister?" Emmett calls impatiently from the driveway, clutching the basketball under his arm.

Edward looks at him, then back at me, conflicted.

"Go, play. You've saved me from the curb, your work here is done." I tease, playfully hitting his arm, because I can't not touch him.

"I'll see you later, Nugget." He smirks, walking backwards a few paces before facing my brother and going back to their game.

Fuck.

I make my way inside on jelly legs, thinking about how head over heels I still am for that boy.


End file.
